Blood Cancers/Disorders: Precautions for Use of Dietary/Herbal Supplements (The James)
Blood Cancers/Disorders: Precautions for Use of Dietary/Herbal Supplements (The James)
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Many dietary/herbal supplements and other natural medicines or products may be dangerous if used during your cancer treatment. It is important to know that if a supplement or product is labeled as "natural," it does not mean it is safe or does not have harmful side effects. These supplements and products may interact with other medicines you take and can cause health problems such as bleeding, changes in your blood pressure or organ damage.
Limited information is available about some dietary/herbal supplements and natural medicines or products. Many of these products have not been tested in clinical studies in humans and the effects they may cause are unknown.
For these reasons, we recommend that you do not take dietary/ herbal supplements or other natural products during your cancer treatment. A supplement (pill or powder form) may cause problems with your cancer treatment, make your treatment less effect or increase your side effects. Foods with these substances are normally not harmful, if taken in limited amounts as part of your regular diet. If you want to use dietary/herbal supplements or products, it is very important to talk with your doctor or pharmacist before you take any of these products.
The following supplements or products may increase your risk of bleeding:
Alcohol |
| Nattokinase | |
Aloe |
| Pau d’arco | |
Astragalus/Huang Qi |
| Peony | |
Berberine |
| Policosanol | |
Billberry |
| Quercetin | |
Bishop’s Weed |
| Red Clover | |
Black Currant |
| Reishi Mushroom: doses above 3g/day | |
Black Pepper |
| Rosemary | |
Black Tea |
| Saw Palmetto | |
Blue-green Algae |
| Scuttelaria/Skullcap | |
Bogbean |
| Selenium: doses above 10 mcg/kg/day | |
Bromelain |
| Sweet Clover | |
Burdock root |
| Tiratricol | |
Caffeine |
| Turmeric | |
Carrageenan |
| White Pepper | |
Cat’s Claw |
| Willow Bark | |
Chamomile |
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Chondroitin |
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Cinchona |
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Cocoa |
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Cod Liver Oil |
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Coleus |
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CoQ10 |
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Danshen |
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DHEA |
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Eicosapentaenoic Acid |
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Essiac |
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DHA |
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The following supplements or products may have antioxidant effects and cause problems with your cancer treatment:
Aloe | Burdock Root |
Berberine | Cat’s Claw |
Black Pepper | CoQ10 |
Blue-green Algae | Theanine |
The following supplements or products may cause problems with your liver or how well your liver works:
Alcohol |
| Marijuana | |
Berberine |
| Melatonin | |
Bishop’s Weed |
| Red Clover | |
Black Cohosh |
| Reishi Mushrooms: doses above 3g/day | |
Black Pepper |
| Resveratrol | |
Blue-green Algae |
| Saw Palmetto | |
Cat’s Claw |
| St. John’s Wort | |
Chamomile |
| Tiratricol | |
Coleus |
| Turmeric (contains curcumin) | |
Essiac |
| White Pepper | |
Evening Primrose |
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The following supplements or products may cause problems with chemotherapy:
Aloe | Saw Palmetto |
Black Cohosh | St. John’s Wort |
Black Pepper | Theanine |
Quercetin |
The following supplements or products may cause health problems if your immune system is weak:
Astragalus |
| Resveratrol | |
Berberine |
| Selenium: doses more than 10 mcg/kg/day | |
Black Pepper |
| St. John’s Wort | |
Blue-green Algae |
| Turmeric (contains curcumin) | |
Cat’s Claw |
| White Pepper |
The following supplements or products may cause anti-inflammatory effects.
Quercetin |
This handout is not a complete list of all precautions for their use. It is important to talk to your health care team about your use of any of the following.
© July 1, 2022. The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.
This handout is for informational purposes only. Talk with your doctor or health care team if you have any questions about your care.
Last Revised: 7/1/2022
Author: OSUWMC
Medical Review: Patient Education