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What are the kashruth issues involved in the taking of gel-capsule medicine which does not have kosher certification?

msh210
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  • Are you talking about on tisha b'av or in general? – Daniel Jul 27 '12 at 13:28
  • @Daniel general –  Jul 27 '12 at 13:31
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    @PM, I assume you are asking about gel capsules that are made with non-Kosher gelatin. If they are made with Kosher gelatin, then I don't see the issue. – Seth J Jul 27 '12 at 15:03
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    @SethJ good point, updated the question –  Jul 27 '12 at 15:43
  • http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/9146/why-is-it-necessary-to-ask-a-rabbi – Adam Mosheh Jul 27 '12 at 16:24
  • @PM I have modified my answer in a way that is significant regarding specifically gelatin tablets. – Daniel Jul 27 '12 at 16:26
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    @AdamMosheh i'm not asking for a psak –  Jul 27 '12 at 16:27
  • @PM - It sounds like you are asking what the Halakha is.. – Adam Mosheh Jul 27 '12 at 16:30
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    @AdamMosheh feel free to edit as you see fit, I'm just asking what factors are involved in the halacha –  Jul 27 '12 at 16:41
  • The Answer: It depends; CYLOR. – Adam Mosheh Jul 27 '12 at 16:32
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    PM, with the current wording, I'm inclined to agree with @AdamMosheh. I think the question needs to be more clearly asking for the Halachic considerations involved rather than asking for permission to take non-certified (not even known whether it is non-Kosher!) gel capsules. – Seth J Jul 27 '12 at 17:18
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    @PM, why did you roll back the edit adding a caution that readers should consult their rabbi and doctor? – Isaac Moses Jul 27 '12 at 17:54
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    @SethJ The wording doesn't seem to be that different than many other [tag:halacha] questions we have on this site. – Double AA Jul 27 '12 at 18:18
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    @DoubleAA, fwiw, I agree that the wording is similar - "may one do x?" - and has been used previously to avoid "direct" Pesak questions. However, in this case, the question was "may one consume a product whose Kosher status is unknown if one has a medical need?" and it was changed to "may one" because it had previously been "may I". That raised all sorts of red flags for me. How serious is the condition? What does the medication do? Is there an alternative? The question needed to be refocused, IMHO, and I stand by that. – Seth J Jul 27 '12 at 19:47
  • http://www.star-k.com/kashrus/kk-palate-gelatin.htm – Gershon Gold Dec 25 '14 at 14:22
  • http://www.koltorah.org/ravj/mediGELcaps.htm – Gershon Gold Dec 25 '14 at 14:23

2 Answers2

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According to Rabbi Dovid Heber, Kashrus administrator of Star-K, pills that are swallowed whole without chewing, poor-tasting liquids, and unflavored tablets may be taken, even if they are not kosher, by anybody whose life is in danger from the illness, by anybody who is so sick that they are completely unable to function properly, or by a child under six years old who is feeling discomfort.

Somebody who is just feeling discomfort, but is able to function, should consult a Rav; however, even someone who is just feeling discomfort may take a medicine where all of the ingredients contain no food, nutrition, or hydration value.

In addition, any unkosher ingredient which is batel bashishim (nullified because it makes up less than 1/60 of the total product) is acceptable in medication, even for someone who is just experiencing discomfort, and even when there are additional stringencies with regard to bitul bashishim with food.

I don't know this for a fact, so don't act on it without finding out, but I would imagine that in nearly any medication which contains unkosher ingredients, those ingredients would be bitul bashishim.

Edit, Rabbi Heber says this about gelatin capsules:

Gelatin is an ingredient that is derived from an animal. Currently all gelatin capsules on the market come from non-Kosher approved gelatin. Swallowing a capsule is considered She'lo ki'derech achila " and may be taken by a choleh sh'ain bo sakanah. (A sick person who is not in danger.) One who has a michush [discomfort-this note is added by me, not Rabbi Heber.]- should consult a Rav before taking gelatin capsules.

Daniel
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  • I have this question about the non-kosher capsules? Suppose the item contains MINERALS. Can we simply DISCARD the capsules without ingestion by emptying their contents into our food or vessel, without these capsules ever touching the food or lips? – ruffy Oct 30 '17 at 02:50
  • @ruffy often the instructions on capsules specifically say that they are to be swallowed whole, generally to protect the contents from stomach acid or the patient from an upset or nauseous stomach. – arp Jul 28 '19 at 17:19
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Certainly, if there is a choice of non-gelatin capsules, they are preferable, though most poskim would allow one to take them:

There is quite the machlokes (argument) as to gelatin capsules:

The Israeli Rabbanut allow it for pills as not considered food - שלא כדרך אכילה.

Other Poskim hold such capsules to be edible (כדרך אכילה) and thus should be avoided (See Tzitz Eliezer intro to vol 4).

R' Yehoshua Neuwirth (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 40 note 169 ) and R' Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer 12:11) are lenient.

R' Eliezer Waldenberg (Tzitz Eliezer 6:16; 7:32:8) allowed it for a non-seriouslsy ill patient (חולה שאין בו סכנה)

user5303
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Zvi
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    Not everyone even holds standard gelatin is forbidden. – Double AA Dec 25 '14 at 18:10
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    Yes, R' Chaim Ozer Grodzinski (Achiezer 3:33) famously permitted gelatin from non-Kosher animals – Zvi Dec 25 '14 at 20:07
  • Ok but his argumemts were easily rejected by everyone else. Im talking about the excellent arguments made by R Ovadia Yosef permitting it. – Double AA Dec 25 '14 at 20:10
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    Read that, too: Yabia Omer YD 8:11 I believe his position is based largely on R' COG, so I wouldn't be so dismissive. – Zvi Dec 25 '14 at 20:12
  • I think you are misremembering (or perhaps he wrote about it differently in different places?) He doesn't base himself on RCOG at all, as I understood him. RCOG discusses the Rambam's position and everyone demonstrates why his read of the Rambam is poor. What ROY points out is that the shulchan arukh doesn't paskin like the Rambam (but rather the Rashba) so all the complaints against RCOG are irrelevant. – Double AA Dec 26 '14 at 06:01
  • R' COG also writes that the manufacturing of gelatin renders them inedible even for a dog, and therefore when reconstituted into gelatin, they've changed from the original product. He then discusses 'batul beshishim' - something mentioned in more detail by R' Ovadia.. This is why I maintained that you shouldn't be so dismissive of what he wrote just because others take issue with his reading of the Rambam. – Zvi Dec 26 '14 at 13:52
  • Here too please see a question I have, above; Thanks – ruffy Oct 30 '17 at 02:54