Drug & supplement interaction

Corn Silk + Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide

Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide brand name: Atacand HCT.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide falls into 2 drug categories that Corn Silk can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Taking corn silk extract with antihypertensive drugs might increase the risk of hypotension.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceD
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Corn Silk and Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Corn Silk interacts with whole categories of medication. Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Corn Silk in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide

Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Corn Silk interacts with.

Taking corn silk extract with antihypertensive drugs might increase the risk of hypotension.
Clinical research in both hypertensive and normotensive adults shows that taking corn silk extract lowers systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
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: your Atacand HCT already lowers blood pressure two ways, with candesartan relaxing your blood vessels and the hydrochlorothiazide acting as a water pill. Corn silk is also thought to gently nudge blood pressure down on its own, partly through that mild fluid-losing effect. So stacking the two could lower your numbers a little more than you intended.

If your pressure drops too far, you might feel dizzy, lightheaded, or wobbly when you stand up, especially since the diuretic can already do this. Keep in mind this is a theoretical concern based mostly on how each works, not strong proof. Casual amounts probably matter less than concentrated extracts, but please check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding corn silk.

References
  1. George GO, Idu FK. Corn silk aqueous extracts and intraocular pressure of systemic and non-systemic hypertensive subjects. Clin Exp Optom. 2015 Mar;98(2):138-49. PubMed
Moderate

DIURETIC DRUGS

2 of 2

Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide also falls under DIURETIC DRUGS.

Taking corn silk with diuretic drugs might increase the risk of adverse effects such as hyponatremia and hypokalemia.
Clinical research shows that taking corn silk extract increases urine volume and promotes the urinary excretion of sodium and potassium. Some patients may require electrolyte supplementation.
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 Atacand HCT is really two medicines in one pill. The hydrochlorothiazide is a water pill (diuretic) that already makes you pee out extra fluid, sodium, and potassium, while the candesartan part relaxes your blood vessels to lower blood pressure. Here is the concern: corn silk seems to act like a mild diuretic too, nudging your body to lose even more sodium and potassium in your urine.

Stacking two things that do the same job could push your levels too low. Low sodium or potassium can show up as muscle cramps, weakness, dizziness, headache, or a fluttering heartbeat. To be fair, this is based on how corn silk behaves rather than strong human studies, so it is a theoretical caution, not a sure thing. Still, please check with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them, and don't change your blood pressure medicine on your own.

References
  1. Newall CA, Anderson LA, Philpson JD. Herbal Medicine: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals. London, UK: The Pharmaceutical Press, 1996.
  2. George GO, Idu FK. Corn silk aqueous extracts and intraocular pressure of systemic and non-systemic hypertensive subjects. Clin Exp Optom. 2015 Mar;98(2):138-49. 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

Corn Silk Also Interacts With Other Medications

Corn Silk has 289 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Corn Silk

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide

This page covers Corn Silk only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide page lists 232 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: 10 major · 196 moderate · 26 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide page

“Supplements deserve genuine scrutiny alongside Atacand HCT (candesartan with hydrochlorothiazide, a blood pressure medicine paired with a water pill), and the ten major-rated entries on this list of 232 are the ones to understand first. Most of the interactions pull in one of two directions.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 58 real supplement products containing Corn Silk, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Corn Silk. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide too, on top of Corn Silk — 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 Corn Silk and Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide 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 Corn Silk
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide
Top half

#1,213 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 Corn Silk

What is Corn Silk?

Corn Silk
  • Urinary tract and bladder problems
  • Mild fluid retention (diuretic)
  • Kidney and prostate concerns
  • Bedwetting in children
  • Soothing urinary irritation

Corn silk is a traditional herbal remedy taken as a tea or extract, mostly for urinary and mild fluid-related complaints. High-quality human evidence for these uses is limited, so it should not replace proven treatments. It is generally considered low-risk for short-term use in healthy adults, but talk with your pharmacist or doctor before trying it.

Read the full Corn Silk monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Corn Silk

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

0Major
289Moderate
0Minor
2,540No known interaction
Moderate

289 interactions

Showing 60 of 289 moderate interactions — see all 289 on the Corn Silk page.

No interaction 2,540 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 Corn Silk and Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Corn Silk with Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide?
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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Corn Silk and Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide?
Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide belongs to more than one drug category, and Corn Silk interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Corn Silk and Candesartan Cilexetil, Hydrochlorothiazide 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.