Drug & supplement interaction

Corn Silk + Hydrochlorothiazide

Hydrochlorothiazide brand names: Esidrix, Hydro, Microzide, HydroDiuril, Hydro-D, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

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?
Know someone taking this? Share
Interaction report

Corn Silk and 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. 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 Hydrochlorothiazide

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: hydrochlorothiazide (often sold as Microzide or HydroDiuril) is a water pill that lowers your blood pressure and helps your body shed extra fluid. Corn silk has its own mild blood pressure lowering and fluid-shedding effect. So when you stack the two together, they may pull in the same direction and drop your pressure a little more than expected.

If that happens, you might notice dizziness, lightheadedness, feeling faint when standing up, or unusual tiredness. Keep in mind this concern is mostly theoretical, based on how corn silk behaves, not strong proof of trouble in real patients. An occasional cup of corn silk tea is unlikely to be a big deal, but concentrated extracts are more of a question mark. Before adding it, check with your pharmacist or doctor.

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

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

Here's the thing to keep in mind: hydrochlorothiazide already nudges your kidneys to flush out extra water along with sodium and potassium. Corn silk appears to act in a similar direction, gently increasing urine output and the loss of those same minerals. Put the two together and you may simply be doubling up on the same effect.

What that can look like in real life is low sodium or low potassium, which might show up as muscle cramps, dizziness, unusual tiredness, a racing or irregular heartbeat, or feeling lightheaded when you stand. To be fair, this concern is based on how these things work rather than strong human studies, so it's more of a heads-up than an alarm. Still, if you take hydrochlorothiazide and want to try corn silk tea or capsules, run it past your pharmacist or doctor first so they can keep an eye on your electrolytes.

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 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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Corn Silk or Hydrochlorothiazide

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Corn Silk or Hydrochlorothiazide, 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 Hydrochlorothiazide

This page covers Corn Silk only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Hydrochlorothiazide page lists 230 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 · 195 moderate · 25 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Hydrochlorothiazide page

“Hydrochlorothiazide sits at the strong end of the caution scale for supplement interactions, and the small group of major-rated entries deserves a careful read before everything else on the page. Most of what appears here either adds to the pill's blood-pressure-lowering effect or piles onto its diuretic action, pushing fluid and potas…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the 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 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 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Hydrochlorothiazide
Top 5%

#137 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
Medication

About Hydrochlorothiazide

What Is Hydrochlorothiazide Used For?

Brand names: Esidrix, Hydro, Microzide, HydroDiuril, Hydro-D, Oretic, Aquazide H, Aquazide, HCTZ

Hydrochlorothiazide treats high blood pressure (hypertension) in adults and children, either alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines. Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of strokes and heart attacks.

It also treats edema (fluid buildup) linked to congestive heart failure, hepatic cirrhosis (liver scarring), and kidney conditions including nephrotic syndrome. Hydrochlorothiazide tablets are additionally indicated for edema caused by corticosteroid or estrogen therapy, and edema from acute glomerulonephritis or chronic renal failure. Inzirqo (the oral suspension) is specifically approved for both hypertension and edema in adult and pediatric patients.

See full Hydrochlorothiazide drug information
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

Keep exploring
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Corn Silk and Hydrochlorothiazide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Corn Silk with 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 Hydrochlorothiazide?
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 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

Still Have a Question About Hydrochlorothiazide and Corn Silk?

Our pharmacists answer your medication & supplement questions — free.

Ask a pharmacist

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.