Drug & supplement interaction

Black Hoof Mushroom + 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

Black Hoof Mushroom has a moderate interaction with Hydrocortisone. Theoretically, black hoof mushroom might reduce the effects of immunosuppressant medications.

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

Black Hoof Mushroom and Hydrocortisone

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

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Hydrocortisone

Hydrocortisone falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Black Hoof Mushroom interacts with.

Theoretically, black hoof mushroom might reduce the effects of immunosuppressant medications.
In animal research, polysaccharides from black hoof mushroom and black hoof mushroom extract stimulate immune responses.
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 thinking on this combo. When you take hydrocortisone for something like an autoimmune flare, severe allergies, or lupus, part of the goal is to calm down an overactive immune system. Black Hoof Mushroom appears to do the opposite, it seems to gently stimulate immune activity. So in theory, the mushroom could push against what your hydrocortisone is trying to accomplish and make it work a little less well.

I want to be honest about how shaky this is. The concern comes only from lab and animal studies, not from people, so we don't actually know if it matters in real life. Still, if you're relying on hydrocortisone to control a real condition, it's worth a quick chat with your doctor or pharmacist before adding this supplement. Please don't change your hydrocortisone dose on your own.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Song, K. S., Cho, S. M., Lee, J. H., Kim, H. M., Han, S. B., Ko, K. S., and Yoo, I. D. B-lymphocyte-stimulating polysaccharide from mushroom Phellinus linteus. Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo) 1995;43(12):2105-2108. PubMed
  2. Matsuba, S., Matsuno, H., Sakuma, M., and Komatsu, Y. Phellinus linteus Extract Augments the Immune Response in Mitomycin C-Induced Immunodeficient Mice. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2008;5(1):85-90.
  3. Kim, G. Y., Roh, S. I., Park, S. K., Ahn, S. C., Oh, Y. H., Lee, J. D., and Park, Y. M. Alleviation of experimental septic shock in mice by acidic polysaccharide isolated from the medicinal mushroom Phellinus linteus. Biol Pharm Bull 2003;26(10):1418-1423 PubMed
  4. Oh, G. S., Lee, M. S., Pae, H. O., Kwon, J., Lee, S. S., Jeong, J. G., Shin, M. K., Kwon, T. O., and Chung, H. T. Effects of oral administration of Phellinus linteus on the production of Th1- and Th2-type cytokines in mice. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol 2
  5. Kim, G. Y., Lee, J. Y., Lee, J. O., Ryu, C. H., Choi, B. T., Jeong, Y. K., Lee, K. W., Jeong, S. C., and Choi, Y. H. Partial characterization and immunostimulatory effect of a novel polysaccharide-protein complex extracted from Phellinus linteus. Biosci B

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

Black Hoof Mushroom Also Interacts With Other Medications

Black Hoof Mushroom has 307 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 307 No known interaction 2,523 (incl. Hydrocortisone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Black Hoof Mushroom

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Black Hoof Mushroom 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 Black Hoof Mushroom 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 Black Hoof Mushroom 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

How much people look this up

Where Black Hoof Mushroom 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 Black Hoof Mushroom
Steady interest

#1,243 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Hydrocortisone
Steady interest

#1,535 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 Black Hoof Mushroom

What is Black Hoof Mushroom?

Black Hoof Mushroom
  • Immune system support
  • Antioxidant support
  • General wellness
  • Traditional cancer-supportive use
  • Inflammation

Black Hoof Mushroom (Phellinus linteus) is a medicinal mushroom long used in East Asian traditional medicine, mainly for immune support. Most of the supporting evidence comes from laboratory and animal studies, and high-quality human research is limited. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have a health condition or take other medicines.

Read the full Black Hoof Mushroom 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 & Black Hoof Mushroom

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

0Major
307Moderate
0Minor
2,522No known interaction
307 Moderate 2,522 No interaction
Moderate

307 interactions

Showing 60 of 307 moderate interactions — see all 307 on the Black Hoof Mushroom page.

No interaction 2,522 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,522 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Black Hoof Mushroom list.

See the full Black Hoof Mushroom 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
Black Hoof Mushroom 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 Black Hoof Mushroom and Hydrocortisone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Black Hoof Mushroom 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 Black Hoof Mushroom 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 Black Hoof Mushroom?

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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.