Drug & supplement interaction

Butternut + Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol

Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol brand name: Lopressor HCT.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Butternut has a moderate interaction with Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol. 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 Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol

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

Moderate

DIURETIC DRUGS

Why this applies to Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol

Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol falls under DIURETIC DRUGS — the group Butternut interacts with.

Butternut has stimulant laxative effects. Theoretically, overuse of butternut might compound diuretic-induced potassium loss. There is some concern that people receiving butternut along with potassium-depleting diuretics might be at an increased risk for hypokalemia.
Some diuretics that can deplete potassium include chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, Hydrodiuril, Microzide), and others.
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

Your combo pill pairs hydrochlorothiazide (a water pill that flushes out sodium and potassium) with metoprolol (a beta-blocker for blood pressure and heart rate). The piece that matters here is the hydrochlorothiazide, since it can lower your potassium on its own. Butternut bark works as a stimulant laxative, and frequent or heavy use can also drain potassium through the gut. Stacked together, the worry is that your potassium could dip too low.

Low potassium can leave you feeling weak, crampy, tired, or give you an irregular heartbeat. To be clear, this concern is mostly theoretical and based on how each one works, not on solid studies, and occasional culinary or mild use is unlikely to be a problem. Still, before using butternut regularly, check with your pharmacist or doctor.

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 Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol 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 Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol

This page covers Butternut only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol page lists 276 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Asarabacca (major) and Dolomite (major).

By severity: 11 major · 235 moderate · 30 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol page

“I would treat this list with genuine care. Lopressor HCT combines hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic, with metoprolol, a beta-blocker, and 276 supplement and herbal ingredients interact with the pair, 11 of them rated major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol 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 Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol 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 Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol 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
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol
Top 25%

#624 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 Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol Together: Common Questions

Can you take Butternut with Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol?
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 Hydrochlorothiazide, Metoprolol 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

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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.