Drug & supplement interaction

Butternut + Dehydrocholic Acid

Dehydrocholic Acid brand name: Decholin.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Butternut has a moderate interaction with Dehydrocholic Acid. Butternut has stimulant laxative effects.

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

Butternut and Dehydrocholic Acid

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

Moderate

STIMULANT LAXATIVES

Why this applies to Dehydrocholic Acid

Dehydrocholic Acid falls under STIMULANT LAXATIVES — the group Butternut interacts with.

Butternut has stimulant laxative effects. Concomitant use with stimulant laxative medications might compound fluid and electrolyte loss.
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 simple version: butternut bark has been used as a natural laxative, and Dehydrocholic Acid (Decholin) also gets your digestive system moving by stimulating bile flow and the bowel. When you stack two things that both push things along, the effects can add up. The main worry isn't a dangerous chemical reaction, it's losing too much fluid and important minerals like potassium and sodium through loose stools.

If that happens, you might feel extra crampy, weak, dizzy, or notice your heart fluttering. To be clear, this concern is theoretical, based on how both products work rather than solid studies. Still, I'd play it safe. Before combining these, check in with your pharmacist or doctor, especially if you take water pills or have heart or kidney issues.

References
  1. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

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

Butternut Also Interacts With Other Medications

Butternut has 121 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Dehydrocholic Acid one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Butternut

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Dehydrocholic Acid

This page covers Butternut only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Dehydrocholic Acid page lists 46 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Jalap (major), Oleander (major), Alder Buckthorn (moderate) and Aloe (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 34 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Dehydrocholic Acid page

“Dehydrocholic acid (Decholin) is itself a stimulant laxative, which is why I want you genuinely careful with this list. Twenty-nine of the 46 flagged supplements are herbal laxatives, and stacking them on this drug compounds fluid and potassium loss.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Dehydrocholic Acid interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 168 real supplement products containing Butternut, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Butternut. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Dehydrocholic Acid too, on top of Butternut — 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 Butternut and Dehydrocholic Acid 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 Butternut
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Dehydrocholic Acid
Top half

#1,099 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 Butternut

What is Butternut?

  • Constipation (laxative)
  • Digestive complaints
  • Skin conditions
  • Traditional 'liver' or 'cleansing' remedy
  • Mild laxative in herbal blends

Butternut (Juglans cinerea) is a North American tree whose inner bark was traditionally used as a mild laxative and folk remedy. Modern scientific evidence supporting any of its uses is very limited, and it can cause stomach cramping and other effects, so it should be used cautiously and only with guidance from a healthcare professional.

Read the full Butternut monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Butternut

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

0Major
121Moderate
0Minor
2,708No known interaction
Moderate

121 interactions

Showing 60 of 121 moderate interactions — see all 121 on the Butternut page.

No interaction 2,708 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Butternut and Dehydrocholic Acid Together: Common Questions

Can you take Butternut with Dehydrocholic Acid?
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 Butternut and Dehydrocholic Acid 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 Dehydrocholic Acid and Butternut?

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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.