Drug & supplement interaction

Aloe + Escitalopram

Escitalopram brand name: Lexapro.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 13, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Aloe and Escitalopram in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Aloe and Escitalopram

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Escitalopram and Aloe in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Aloe safety at a glance

Aloe overall Use caution Topical gel is generally well tolerated, but oral aloe latex can cause serious side effects.
Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe When used orally. Anthraquinones present in aloe latex and aloe whole leaf extracts have irritant, cathartic, and possible mutagenic effects. There are also ane... Read the full pregnancy detail
Breastfeeding Possibly Unsafe When aloe preparations are used orally. Cathartic and mutagenic anthraquinones present in aloe latex and aloe whole leaf extracts might pass into milk; avoid us... Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Escitalopram and Aloe? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Escitalopram

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Escitalopram is filed under 7 classifications — including antidepressant drugs, cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) inhibitors, cytochrome p450 1a2 (cyp1a2) inhibitors. Aloe has documented interactions with 7 drug classes — the most serious being digoxin (lanoxin) (major), anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — and none of Escitalopram’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Aloe Does Interact With Other Medications

Aloe has 1 major, 304 moderate, 156 minor known drug interactions in our database — Escitalopram isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 1 Moderate 304 Minor 156 No known interaction 2,369 (incl. Escitalopram)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Aloe

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Aloe and Escitalopram May Share Several of the Same Side Effects

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do. One of them is worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    Aloe

    “A case of Henoch-Schonlein purpura, characterized by abdominal pain, purpura, and severe arthralgia, has been reported in a 52-year-old male who drank aloe juice prepared from four to five leaflets for 10 days prior to symptom development.”

    Aloe · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pain.

    1 source cited
    1. 91598. Guo X, Mei N. Aloe Vera - A Review of Toxicity and Adverse Clinical Effects. J Environ Sci Health C Environ Carcinog Ecotoxicol Rev 2016;34(2):77-96.

    Escitalopram

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Escitalopram. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Stomach upset Additional detail

    Aloe

    “Orally, aloe latex can cause hemorrhagic gastritis, nephritis, and acute kidney failure following prolonged use of high doses (1 gram daily or more).”

    Aloe · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in kidney failure.

    1 source cited
    1. 8961. Luyckx VA, Ballantine R, Claeys M, et al. Herbal remedy-associated acute renal failure secondary to Cape aloes. Am J Kidney Dis 2002;39:E13. PubMed

    Escitalopram

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Escitalopram. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Stomach pain / Diarrhea reported in 5.0% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Aloe

    “Orally, aloe latex can cause abdominal pain and cramps. Long-term use or abuse of aloe latex can cause diarrhea, sometimes with hypokalemia, albuminuria, hematuria, muscle weakness, weight loss, arrhythmia, and pseudomelanosis coli (pigment spots in intestinal mucosa). Pseudomelanosis coli is believed to be harmless, and usually reverses with discontinuation of aloe.”

    Aloe · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in albuminuria.

    5 sources cited
    1. 6138. Nusko G, Schneider B, Schneider I, et al. Anthranoid laxative use is not a risk factor for colorectal neoplasia: results of a prospective case control study. Gut 2000;46:651-5. PubMed
    2. 104174. Hoogenboom TCH, Patel N, Cook NA, Williams R, Taylor-Robinson SD, Lim AKP. The effect of Aloe vera juice on liver enzymes and hepatic structure in a healthy population. Integr Med (Encinitas) 2020;19(3):30-4.
    3. 111921. Lewis ED, Crowley DC, Guthrie N, Evans M. Healthy adults supplemented with a nutraceutical formulation containing Aloe vera gel, rosemary and Poria cocos enhances the effect of influenza vaccination in a randomized, triple-blind, placebo-controlled trial. PubMed
    4. 111663. Sabbaghzadegan S, Soltani MH, Kamalinejad M, Bahrami M, Kabir A, Dadmehr M. The effect of a standardized capsule of Aloe vera gel on the quality of life in patients with systolic heart failure: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.
    5. 90124. Hajheydari Z, Saeedi M, Morteza-Semnani K, Soltani A. Effect of Aloe vera topical gel combined with tretinoin in treatment of mild and moderate acne vulgaris: a randomized, double-blind, prospective trial. J Dermatolog Treat 2014;25(2):123-9.

    Escitalopram

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Escitalopram, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

  • Nausea reported in 6.8% of FDA reports for Escitalopram Additional detail

    Aloe

    Recorded for Aloe in the same Natural Medicines adverse-effect record shown under Stomach pain / Diarrhea above.

    Escitalopram

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Escitalopram, and in voluntary FDA adverse-event reports. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Aloe but not commonly for Escitalopram: an allergic reaction, muscle weakness, kidney problems and low potassium.

Effects for Escitalopram come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Aloe come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 139,512 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Escitalopram that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

Special populations

Aloe in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Possibly Unsafe

When used orally. Anthraquinones present in aloe latex and aloe whole leaf extracts have irritant, cathartic, and possible mutagenic effects. There are also anecdotal reports and evidence from animal research that anthraquinones or aloe whole leaf extracts might induce abortion and stimulate menstruation; avoid using.

Lactation Possibly Unsafe

When aloe preparations are used orally. Cathartic and mutagenic anthraquinones present in aloe latex and aloe whole leaf extracts might pass into milk; avoid using.

DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center

Overlapping uses

What Escitalopram Is Prescribed For, and What Aloe Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Escitalopram is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Aloe is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Escitalopram is prescribed for: Escitalopram treats major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults and in adolescents 12 years of age and older. It also treats generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults. Lexapro (escitalopram) tablets are additionally approved to treat generalized anxiety disorder in pediatric patients 7 years of age and older. Escitalopram Capsules are indicated for MDD and GAD in adults younger than 65 years of age, and for MDD in pediatric patients 12 years and older — the capsule form is not indicated for patients 65 and older.

Aloe has been studied for:

  • Depression studied, not established Aloe has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Aloe for depression

    Although there has been interest in using oral aloe for depression, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of aloe for this purpose.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Escitalopram on your own; if you are taking Aloe for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Aloe or Escitalopram

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Aloe or Escitalopram, 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 Escitalopram

This page covers Aloe only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Escitalopram page lists 55 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Lithium (major), 5-htp (moderate), Acetyl-l-carnitine (moderate) and Ayahuasca (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 38 moderate · 15 minor.

Open the Escitalopram interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 1,978 real supplement products containing Aloe, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Aloe. Even though Aloe itself has no known interaction with Escitalopram, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Aloe and Escitalopram 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 Aloe
Top 10%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Escitalopram
Top 1%

#13 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.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Aloe reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Aloe and Escitalopram records this page draws on were last updated July 11, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Aloe

What is Aloe?

Aloe
  • Minor burns and skin irritation
  • Wound healing
  • Constipation
  • Skin hydration and moisturizing
  • Digestive complaints
  • Hair and scalp care

Aloe vera gel is widely used on the skin for minor burns and irritation, and some research suggests it may help. Aloe latex (the yellow part) is a strong laxative that can cause cramping and is not considered safe for regular use. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before taking aloe by mouth, and avoid oral aloe during pregnancy.

Aloe vera · Asphodelaceae · Leaves (gel from the inner leaf and latex from just under the skin) · Topical gels and creams, juice, capsules, tablets, and as an ingredient in cosmetics and skin care products

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Aloe is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Aloe record says about it on its own.

Aloe: dosing

There is no single standard dose of aloe. The right amount depends on the product, the form, and how it is used.For skin products, follow the directions on the label and apply to clean skin.

From our Aloe monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Aloe monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Escitalopram

What Is Escitalopram Used For?

Brand name: Lexapro

Escitalopram treats major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults and in adolescents 12 years of age and older. It also treats generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in adults.

Lexapro (escitalopram) tablets are additionally approved to treat generalized anxiety disorder in pediatric patients 7 years of age and older. Escitalopram Capsules are indicated for MDD and GAD in adults younger than 65 years of age, and for MDD in pediatric patients 12 years and older — the capsule form is not indicated for patients 65 and older.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Escitalopram

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (139,512 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Fatigue 9,542 reports
Nausea 9,514 reports
Headache 7,397 reports
Diarrhea 7,045 reports
Anxiety 6,668 reports
See full Escitalopram drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Aloe

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

1Major
304Moderate
156Minor
2,368No known interaction
1 Major 304 Moderate 156 Minor 2,368 No interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

304 interactions

Showing 60 of 304 moderate interactions — see all 304 on the Aloe page.

Minor

156 interactions

Showing 60 of 156 minor interactions — see all 156 on the Aloe page.

No interaction 2,368 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,368 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Aloe list.

See the full Aloe interactions page
See every supplement checked against Escitalopram, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Aloe References

The 41 references that drive our Aloe monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Philpson JD. Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.
  2. Wichtl MW. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Ed. N.M. Bisset. Stuttgart: Medpharm GmbH Scientific Publishers, 1994.
  3. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
  4. Nusko G, Schneider B, Schneider I, et al. Anthranoid laxative use is not a risk factor for colorectal neoplasia: results of a prospective case control study. Gut 2000;46:651-5. PubMed
  5. Luyckx VA, Ballantine R, Claeys M, et al. Herbal remedy-associated acute renal failure secondary to Cape aloes. Am J Kidney Dis 2002;39:E13. PubMed
  6. Rajasekaran S, Sivagnanam K, Ravi K, Subramanian S. Hypoglycemic effect of Aloe vera gel on streptozotocin-induced diabetes in experimental rats. J Med Food 2004;7:61-6.
  7. Williams MS, Burk M, Loprinzi CL, et al. Phase III double-blind evaluation of an aloe vera gel as a prophylactic agent for radiation-induced skin toxicity. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 1996;36:345-9. PubMed
  8. Vogler BK, Ernst E. Aloe vera: a systematic review of its clinical effectiveness. Br J Gen Pract 1999;49:823-8.
  9. Bottenberg MM, Wall GC, Harvey RL, Habib S. Oral aloe vera-induced hepatitis. Ann Pharmacother 2007;41:1740-3. PubMed
  10. Rabe C, Musch A, Schirmacher P, et al. Acute hepatitis induced by an Aloe vera preparation: a case report. World J Gastroenterol 2005;11:303-4. PubMed
  11. Kanat O, Ozet A, Ataergin S. Aloe vera-induced acute toxic hepatitis in a healthy young man. Eur J Int Med 2006;17:589. PubMed
  12. Mueller SO, Stopper H. Characterization of the genotoxicity of anthraquinones in mammalian cells. Biochim Biophys Acta 1999;1428:406-14. PubMed
  13. Schorkhuber M, Richter M, Dutter A, et al. Effect of anthraquinone laxatives on the proliferation and urokinase secretion of normal, premalignant and malignant colonic epithelial cells. Eur J Cancer 1998;34:1091-8. PubMed
  14. Yang HN, Kim DJ, Kim YM, et al. Aloe-induced toxic hepatitis. J Korean Med Sci 2010;25:492-5. PubMed
  15. Choonhakarn C, Busaracome P, Sripanidkulchai B, et al. A prospective, randomized clinical trial comparing topical aloe vera with 0.1% triamcinolone acetonide in mild to moderate plaque psoriasis. J.Eur.Acad.Dermatol.Venereol. 2010;24:168-72. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Aloe and Escitalopram Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Aloe with Escitalopram?
We do not list a known interaction between Aloe and Escitalopram. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Aloe and Escitalopram have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 5 of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
Are Aloe and Escitalopram used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Aloe in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Escitalopram is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Aloe and Escitalopram combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Escitalopram is filed under 7 classifications, and Aloe has documented interactions with 7 drug classes — none of Escitalopram's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Aloe interact with any other medications?
Yes. Aloe has 461 documented drug interactions in our database — Escitalopram is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Escitalopram interact with any supplements?
Yes. Escitalopram has documented interactions with 55 supplements in our database — Aloe is not one of them. The Escitalopram interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

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

Where next

Keep Exploring

Aloe monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Escitalopram drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Escitalopram supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Escitalopram, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 41 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Escitalopram and Aloe?

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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.