Drug & supplement interaction

Butcher's Broom + Rifaximin

Rifaximin brand name: Xifaxan.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 27, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin 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

Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin

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 Rifaximin and Butcher's Broom 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.

Butcher's Broom safety at a glance

Butcher's Broom overall Use caution Generally well tolerated short-term in most healthy adults, but evidence on long-term safety is limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Safety has not been established, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information exists, so avoid use while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Rifaximin and Butcher's Broom? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Rifaximin

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Rifaximin is filed under 2 classifications — antibiotic drugs, oral drugs. Butcher's Broom has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being alpha-adrenergic agonists (moderate) and alpha-adrenergic antagonists (moderate) — and none of Rifaximin’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

Butcher's Broom Does Interact With Other Medications

Butcher's Broom has 158 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Rifaximin isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 158 No known interaction 2,672 (incl. Rifaximin)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Butcher's Broom

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin 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.

  • Diarrhea / Vomiting / Nausea reported in 6.0% of FDA reports for Rifaximin Additional detail

    Butcher's Broom

    “Orally, butcher's broom may cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dyspepsia, heartburn, and gastritis. A 39-year-old female with poorly-controlled diabetes reported severe vomiting and diarrhea after taking butcher's broom for 5 days and was ultimately hospitalized with dehydration, hyperkalemia, acidosis, and sinus tachycardia.”

    Butcher's Broom · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diabetes.

    4 sources cited
    1. 10068. Beltramino R, Penenory A, Buceta AM. An open-label, randomized multicenter study comparing the efficacy and safety of Cyclo 3 Fort versus hydroxyethyl rutoside in chronic venous lymphatic insufficiency. Angiology 2000;51:535-44.. PubMed
    2. 37494. Cluzan, R. V., Alliot, F., Ghabboun, S., and Pascot, M. Treatment of secondary lymphedema of the upper limb with CYCLO 3 FORT. Lymphology 1996;29(1):29-35.
    3. 37498. Parrado F, Buzzi A. A study of the efficacy and tolerability of a preparation containing Ruscus aculeatus in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs. Clin Drug Invest 1999;18(4):255-61. DOI
    4. 94778. Sadarmin PP, Timperley J. An unusual case of Butcher's Broom precipitating diabetic ketoacidosis. J Emerg Med 2013;45(3):e63-e65. PubMed

    Rifaximin

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

  • A skin rash Additional detail

    Butcher's Broom

    “Topically, butcher's broom may cause contact dermatitis. A 30-year-old female developed an erythematous, papular, pruritic rash on both legs after applying a cream containing butcher's broom root extract (Fabroven, Pierre Fabre Iberica) to varicose veins for 2 months. The rash spread to the entire body, and the patient had positive patch tests to ethanol extracts of butcher's broom.”

    Butcher's Broom · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in dermatitis.

    2 sources cited
    1. 37487. Landa, N., Aguirre, A., Goday, J., Raton, J. A., and Diaz-Perez, J. L. Allergic contact dermatitis from a vasoconstrictor cream. Contact Dermatitis 1990;22(5):290-291. PubMed
    2. 94780. Ramirez-Hernandez M, Garcia-Selles J, Merida-Fernandez C, Martinez-Escribano JA. Allergic contact dermatitis to ruscogenins. Contact Dermatitis 2006;54(1):60. PubMed

    Rifaximin

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

Reported for Butcher's Broom but not commonly for Rifaximin: a fast or pounding heartbeat, high potassium, dehydration and stomach upset.

Effects for Rifaximin come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Butcher's Broom come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 20,331 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Rifaximin 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Butcher's Broom or Rifaximin

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

This page covers Butcher's Broom only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Rifaximin page lists 44 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Bacillus Coagulans (moderate), Bacillus Subtilis (moderate), Bifidobacterium Animalis Subsp. Lactis (moderate) and Bifidobacterium Bifidum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 33 moderate · 10 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Rifaximin page

“Activated charcoal is the one entry here I would treat as a hard stop while taking rifaximin (Xifaxan). Charcoal binds drugs in the gut and can cut how much gets absorbed, and it carries the only major rating among the 44 supplements on this page.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Rifaximin interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Butcher's Broom as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 439 real supplement products containing Butcher's Broom, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Butcher's Broom. Even though Butcher's Broom itself has no known interaction with Rifaximin, 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 Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin 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 Butcher's Broom
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Rifaximin
Top half

#826 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 Butcher's Broom reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 27, 2026. The Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 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 Butcher's Broom

What is Butcher's Broom?

Butcher's Broom
  • Chronic venous insufficiency
  • Varicose veins
  • Leg swelling and heaviness
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Circulation problems

Butcher's broom is a plant extract most often used for circulation problems in the legs, such as chronic venous insufficiency, where some evidence suggests it may help reduce swelling and discomfort. Quality and dosing vary widely between products, and it should not replace proven treatments. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor before starting it, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a health condition.

Ruscus aculeatus · Asparagaceae · Rhizome (underground stem) and roots · Capsules, tablets, extracts, teas, and topical creams or ointments

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

Butcher's Broom: dosing

There is no single official or standardized dose of butcher's broom. Products vary widely in their strength, how they are made, and whether they include other ingredients, which makes it hard to compare them.Many extracts are standardized to a certain amount of ruscogenins, but the right amount depends on the specific product.

From our Butcher's Broom monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Butcher's Broom monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Rifaximin

What Is Rifaximin Used For?

Brand name: Xifaxan

Xifaxan (rifaximin) tablets treat three distinct conditions. For travelers' diarrhea caused by Escherichia coli, it is approved for adults and children 12 and older. For irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea (IBS-D), it is approved for adults. It is also used in adults to reduce the chance that hepatic encephalopathy (confusion and other brain symptoms caused by liver disease) will come back.

Important limits apply: Xifaxan should not be used for travelers' diarrhea that comes with fever, blood in the stool, or when a pathogen other than E. coli is suspected. It is also not suitable for bacterial infections outside the gut, because very little of the drug is absorbed into the bloodstream.

See full Rifaximin drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Butcher's Broom

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

0Major
158Moderate
0Minor
2,671No known interaction
158 Moderate 2,671 No interaction
Moderate

158 interactions

Showing 60 of 158 moderate interactions — see all 158 on the Butcher's Broom page.

No interaction 2,671 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,671 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Butcher's Broom list.

See the full Butcher's Broom interactions page
See every supplement checked against Rifaximin, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Butcher's Broom References

The 8 references that drive our Butcher's Broom 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. Beltramino R, Penenory A, Buceta AM. An open-label, randomized multicenter study comparing the efficacy and safety of Cyclo 3 Fort versus hydroxyethyl rutoside in chronic venous lymphatic insufficiency. Angiology 2000;51:535-44.. PubMed
  2. Redman DA. Ruscus aculeatus (butcher's broom) as a potential treatment for orthostatic hypotension, with a case report. J Altern Complement Med 2000;6:539-49..
  3. Landa, N., Aguirre, A., Goday, J., Raton, J. A., and Diaz-Perez, J. L. Allergic contact dermatitis from a vasoconstrictor cream. Contact Dermatitis 1990;22(5):290-291. PubMed
  4. Cluzan, R. V., Alliot, F., Ghabboun, S., and Pascot, M. Treatment of secondary lymphedema of the upper limb with CYCLO 3 FORT. Lymphology 1996;29(1):29-35.
  5. Parrado F, Buzzi A. A study of the efficacy and tolerability of a preparation containing Ruscus aculeatus in the treatment of chronic venous insufficiency of the lower limbs. Clin Drug Invest 1999;18(4):255-61. DOI
  6. Sadarmin PP, Timperley J. An unusual case of Butcher's Broom precipitating diabetic ketoacidosis. J Emerg Med 2013;45(3):e63-e65. PubMed
  7. Ramirez-Hernandez M, Garcia-Selles J, Merida-Fernandez C, Martinez-Escribano JA. Allergic contact dermatitis to ruscogenins. Contact Dermatitis 2006;54(1):60. PubMed
  8. European Medicines Agency. Assessment report on Ruscus Aculeatus L rhizome. EMEA/HMPC/261939/2007. London, September 4, 2008. Available at: http://www.ema.europa.eu/docs/en_GB/document_library/Herbal_-_HMPC_assessment_report/2009/12/WC500018288.pdf. Acces

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 Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Butcher's Broom with Rifaximin?
We do not list a known interaction between Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin. 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 Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to 4 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.
How was the Butcher's Broom and Rifaximin combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Rifaximin is filed under 2 classifications, and Butcher's Broom has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Rifaximin'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 Butcher's Broom interact with any other medications?
Yes. Butcher's Broom has 158 documented drug interactions in our database — Rifaximin 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 Rifaximin interact with any supplements?
Yes. Rifaximin has documented interactions with 44 supplements in our database — Butcher's Broom is not one of them. The Rifaximin 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

Butcher's Broom monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Rifaximin drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Rifaximin supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Rifaximin, 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 8 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Rifaximin and Butcher's Broom?

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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.