Drug & supplement interaction

Bishop's Weed + Hydrocortisone

Hydrocortisone brand names: Cortef, Hydrocortone, Carmol HC cream, Hydrocortisone Iodoquinol Cream, Vytone Cream, and others.

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

Bishop's Weed has a moderate interaction with Hydrocortisone. Bergapten, a constituent of bishop's weed, has been shown to inhibit cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) in vitro.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Bishop's Weed and Hydrocortisone

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

Why this applies to Hydrocortisone

Hydrocortisone falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Bishop's Weed interacts with.

Bergapten, a constituent of bishop's weed, has been shown to inhibit cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) in vitro. Theoretically, bishop's weed might inhibit elimination and increase blood levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.
Some drugs metabolized by CYP3A4 include alprazolam (Xanax), amitriptyline (Elavil), amiodarone (Cordarone), buspirone (Buspar), cerivastatin (Baycol), citalopram (Celexa), felodipine (Plendil), fexofenadine (Allegra), itraconazole (Sporanox), ketoconazole (Nizoral), lansoprazole (Prevacid), losartan (Cozaar), lovastatin (Mevacor), ondansetron (Zofran), prednisone (Deltasone, Orasone), sertraline (Zoloft), sibutramine (Meridia), sildenafil (Viagra), simvastatin (Zocor), verapamil (Calan, Covera-HS, Isoptin), and many others.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

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 gist for hydrocortisone: your liver uses an enzyme called CYP3A4 to break this steroid down and clear it out. Bishop's Weed contains a compound (bergapten) that can slow that same enzyme down. If the enzyme works slower, hydrocortisone may hang around longer and build up a bit. That could mean more of the usual steroid effects, things like fluid retention, swelling, higher blood sugar, trouble sleeping, mood changes, or stomach upset.

That said, this is mostly theoretical, based on lab studies rather than people, so I don't want you to panic. Bishop's Weed isn't something to take on your own anyway. If you're considering it, please run it by your pharmacist or doctor first so they can check your specific dose and situation.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Malhotra S, Bailey DG, Paine MF, Watkins PB. Seville orange juice-felodipine interaction: comparison with dilute grapefruit juice and involvement of furocoumarins. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2001;69:14-23. PubMed

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

Bishop's Weed Also Interacts With Other Medications

Bishop's Weed has 953 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Hydrocortisone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 953 No known interaction 1,877 (incl. Hydrocortisone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Bishop's Weed

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Bishop's Weed. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Bishop's Weed or Hydrocortisone

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Bishop's Weed or Hydrocortisone, 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 Hydrocortisone

This page covers Bishop's Weed only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Hydrocortisone page lists 205 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lily-of-the-valley (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Acacia Rigidula (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 164 moderate · 37 minor.

Open the Hydrocortisone interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Bishop's Weed as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 83 real supplement products containing Bishop's Weed, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Bishop's Weed. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Hydrocortisone too, on top of Bishop's Weed — 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 Bishop's Weed and Hydrocortisone 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 Bishop's Weed
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Hydrocortisone
Top half

#950 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 Bishop's Weed

What is Bishop's Weed?

Bishop's Weed
  • Vitiligo (loss of skin color)
  • Psoriasis
  • Digestive complaints
  • Asthma and breathing problems
  • Kidney stones
  • Diuretic (increasing urine)

Bishop's Weed (Ammi majus) is a flowering plant whose seeds contain natural light-sensitizing compounds called psoralens, which have been studied mainly for skin conditions like vitiligo and psoriasis when combined with light therapy. The plant is potentially toxic and can cause severe skin and eye reactions when exposed to sunlight, so it is not something to take on your own. If you are interested in psoralen-based treatments, work with a dermatologist rather than self-treating.

Read the full Bishop's Weed monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Hydrocortisone

What Is Hydrocortisone Used For?

Brand names: Cortef, Hydrocortone, Carmol HC cream, Hydrocortisone Iodoquinol Cream, Vytone Cream, Massengil Medicated Towelettes, Dioderm, Efcortelan Cream, Mildison, Alphaderm, Calmurid HC, Efcortelan Ointment, Texacort, Alkindi Sprinkle

Hydrocortisone comes in many products, and each one is approved for different uses. Which one you get depends on the condition being treated.

Cortef tablets are used for adrenal insufficiency, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, rheumatic disorders (such as rheumatoid arthritis and gouty arthritis) and collagen diseases such as lupus. Hydrocortisone sodium succinate and Solu-Cortef injections are used when oral therapy is not feasible, for severe allergic states, skin diseases, and adrenal insufficiency. Alkindi (oral granules) is used as replacement therapy in children with adrenocortical insufficiency. Cortenema, Hydrocortisone Rectal Suspension and Cortifoam are used for ulcerative colitis or ulcerative proctitis. Topical hydrocortisone butyrate and valerate products, including Evesse lotion, are used for itchy, inflamed skin conditions and atopic dermatitis.

See full Hydrocortisone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Bishop's Weed

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

0Major
953Moderate
0Minor
1,876No known interaction
953 Moderate 1,876 No interaction
Moderate

953 interactions

Showing 60 of 953 moderate interactions — see all 953 on the Bishop's Weed page.

No interaction 1,876 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,876 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Bishop's Weed list.

See the full Bishop's Weed interactions page
See every supplement checked against Hydrocortisone, 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
Bishop's Weed monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Hydrocortisone supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Hydrocortisone, ranked by severity Hydrocortisone 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 Bishop's Weed and Hydrocortisone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Bishop's Weed with Hydrocortisone?
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.
How serious is the Bishop's Weed and Hydrocortisone 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

Still Have a Question About Hydrocortisone and Bishop's Weed?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.