Drug & supplement interaction

Turmeric + Daunorubicin, Cytarabine

Daunorubicin, Cytarabine brand name: Vyxeos.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Daunorubicin, Cytarabine falls into 2 drug categories that Turmeric can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, turmeric might increase the risk of liver damage when taken with hepatotoxic drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Turmeric and Daunorubicin, Cytarabine

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Turmeric interacts with whole categories of medication. Daunorubicin, Cytarabine falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Turmeric in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Daunorubicin, Cytarabine

Daunorubicin, Cytarabine falls under HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS — the group Turmeric interacts with.

Theoretically, turmeric might increase the risk of liver damage when taken with hepatotoxic drugs.
There is concern that turmeric might cause hepatotoxicity, especially when highly bioavailable formulations are used in high doses.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the thing to keep in mind with Vyxeos (the daunorubicin and cytarabine combo used for leukemia): this medicine is already known to be tough on the liver, and your cancer team watches your liver blood tests closely while you're on it. Turmeric, when taken as a concentrated supplement in high doses, has been linked in some case reports to liver irritation of its own.

The worry is simply that stacking the two could add extra strain on the liver, which might show up as fatigue, yellowing of the skin or eyes, or abnormal liver labs. I'll be honest, this is theoretical and based on scattered reports, not strong proof. Cooking with turmeric as a spice is very unlikely to matter. Still, please run any supplement past your oncology team before starting it.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Lombardi N, Crescioli G, Maggini V, et al. Acute liver injury following turmeric use in Tuscany: an analysis of the Italian Phytovigilance database and systematic review of case reports. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2020. PubMed
  2. Sohal A, Alhankawi D, Sandhu S, Chintanaboina J. Turmeric-induced hepatotoxicity: Report of 2 cases. Int Med Case Rep J 2021;14:849-852. PubMed
  3. 109288 Halegoua-DeMarzio D, Navarro V, Ahmad J, et al. Liver injury associated with turmeric-A growing problem: Ten cases from the drug-induced liver injury network [DILIN]. Am J Med. 2022:S0002-9343(22)00740-9. PubMed
  4. Arzallus T, Izagirre A, Castiella A, Torrente S, Garmendia M, Zapata EM. Drug induced autoimmune hepatitis after turmeric intake. Gastroenterol Hepatol 2023. PubMed
Moderate

ANTITUMOR ANTIBIOTICS

2 of 2

Daunorubicin, Cytarabine also falls under ANTITUMOR ANTIBIOTICS.

Turmeric has antioxidant effects. Theoretically, this may reduce the activity of chemotherapy drugs that generate free radicals. However, research is conflicting.
In vitro and animal research shows that curcumin, a constituent of turmeric, inhibits doxorubicin-induced apoptosis of breast cancer cells by up to 65%. However, curcumin does not seem to affect the apoptosis capacity of daunorubicin. In fact, some research shows that curcumin might augment the cytotoxic effects of antitumor antibiotics, increasing their effectiveness. Reasons for the discrepancies may relate to the dose of curcumin and the chemotherapeutic agent. Lower doses of curcumin might have antioxidant effects while higher doses might have pro-oxidant effects. More evidence is needed to determine what effects, if any, antioxidants such as turmeric have on antitumor antibiotics.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the honest picture with Vyxeos (the daunorubicin and cytarabine combo used for AML). Part of how some chemo works is by creating free radicals that damage cancer cells. Turmeric's main compound, curcumin, acts as an antioxidant, so in theory it could blunt that kind of effect. But this concern comes only from lab and animal studies, and the results actually conflict. Interestingly, the research on daunorubicin specifically did not show curcumin weakening its cancer-killing ability, and some studies even hint it could help.

Bottom line: this is theoretical and far from settled. Because Vyxeos is serious chemotherapy for a serious illness, please don't start or stop any turmeric supplement without first checking with your oncology team. They may want you to avoid concentrated supplements during treatment, even though food amounts of turmeric in cooking are unlikely to matter.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Mitchell TM. Correspondence re: Somasundaram et al., Dietary curcumin inhibits chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in models of human breast cancer. Cancer Res. 2003;63(16):5165-6; author reply 5166-7.
  2. Somasundaram S, Edmund NA, Moore DT, Small GW, Shi YY, Orlowski RZ. Dietary curcumin inhibits chemotherapy-induced apoptosis in models of human breast cancer. Cancer Res. 2002;62(13):3868-75.

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Turmeric Also Interacts With Other Medications

Turmeric has 1,055 moderate, 77 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Daunorubicin, Cytarabine one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 1,055 Minor 77 No known interaction 1,698 (incl. Daunorubicin, Cytarabine)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Turmeric

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Turmeric. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Turmeric or Daunorubicin, Cytarabine

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Turmeric or Daunorubicin, Cytarabine, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Daunorubicin, Cytarabine

This page covers Turmeric only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Daunorubicin, Cytarabine page lists 50 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Beer (major), Siberian Cocklebur (major), Wine (major), Acerola (moderate) and Alpha-lipoic Acid (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 47 moderate.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Daunorubicin, Cytarabine page

“Vyxeos pairs daunorubicin and cytarabine to treat acute myeloid leukemia, and its supplement list is one to handle with genuine care. Most of it points at the liver: 38 of the 50 flagged ingredients can stress an organ already processing intensive chemotherapy, and the three rated major all belong to that group.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Daunorubicin, Cytarabine interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Turmeric as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 1,368 real supplement products containing Turmeric, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Turmeric. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Daunorubicin, Cytarabine too, on top of Turmeric — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Turmeric and Daunorubicin, Cytarabine Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Turmeric
Top 5%

#24 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Daunorubicin, Cytarabine
Top 5%

#108 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Turmeric

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric
  • Joint pain and arthritis
  • Inflammation
  • Digestive upset
  • Antioxidant support
  • Skin conditions

Turmeric is a popular spice whose main active compounds, curcuminoids, are studied mostly for inflammation and joint pain. Some research is promising, but quality is mixed and curcumin is poorly absorbed on its own. For most people, dietary amounts are safe, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking concentrated supplements, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or have a medical condition.

Read the full Turmeric monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Daunorubicin and Cytarabine Lipid Complex Injection

What Is Daunorubicin and Cytarabine Lipid Complex Injection Used For?

Brand name: Vyxeos

  • Daunorubicin and cytarabine lipid complex is used to treat certain types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML; a type of cancer of the white blood cells) in adults and children 1 year of age and older. Daunorubicin is in a class of medications called anthracyclines. Cytarabine is in a class of medications called antimetabolites. Daunorubicin and cytarabine lipid complex slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body.

See full Daunorubicin and Cytarabine Lipid Complex Injection drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Turmeric

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Turmeric — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
1,055Moderate
77Minor
1,697No known interaction
1,055 Moderate 77 Minor 1,697 No interaction
Moderate

1,055 interactions

Showing 60 of 1,055 moderate interactions — see all 1,055 on the Turmeric page.

Minor

77 interactions

Showing 60 of 77 minor interactions — see all 77 on the Turmeric page.

No interaction 1,697 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Turmeric against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,697 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Turmeric list.

See the full Turmeric interactions page
See every supplement checked against Daunorubicin, Cytarabine, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Turmeric monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Daunorubicin, Cytarabine supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Daunorubicin, Cytarabine, ranked by severity Daunorubicin and Cytarabine Lipid Complex Injection drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Turmeric and Daunorubicin, Cytarabine Together: Common Questions

Can you take Turmeric with Daunorubicin, Cytarabine?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Turmeric and Daunorubicin, Cytarabine?
Daunorubicin, Cytarabine belongs to more than one drug category, and Turmeric interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Turmeric and Daunorubicin, Cytarabine interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.