Drug & supplement interaction

Corn Silk + Prednisone

Prednisone brand names: Deltasone, Cortan, Orasone, Prednisone, Prednicen-M, and others.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Corn Silk has a moderate interaction with Prednisone. Taking corn silk with corticosteroids might increase the risk of hypokalemia.

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

Corn Silk and Prednisone

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

Moderate

CORTICOSTEROIDS

Why this applies to Prednisone

Prednisone falls under CORTICOSTEROIDS — the group Corn Silk interacts with.

Taking corn silk with corticosteroids might increase the risk of hypokalemia.
Clinical research shows that taking corn silk extract increases the urinary excretion of potassium.
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 an eye on with prednisone and corn silk. Prednisone itself can lower your body's potassium over time, since steroids tend to push potassium out through your kidneys. Corn silk acts a bit like a mild water pill and, in some research, it also increased how much potassium you lose in your urine. Stack the two together and you could end up with potassium dipping lower than it should.

Low potassium can show up as muscle cramps, weakness, tiredness, or an irregular heartbeat. Now, this is a theoretical concern based on how each one works, not proven harm, so please don't panic. If you take prednisone regularly and want to try corn silk, just check with your pharmacist or doctor first so they can keep tabs on your potassium.

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 Prednisone 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 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 Prednisone

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 Prednisone, 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 Prednisone

This page covers Corn Silk only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Prednisone page lists 208 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lily-of-the-valley (major), St. John's Wort (major) and Acacia Rigidula (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 168 moderate · 36 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Prednisone page

“Prednisone (Deltasone) suppresses the immune system to control inflammation, and that mechanism shapes most of what can go wrong on this 208-ingredient list, which I read as one to approach carefully rather than casually. Four entries rate major.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Prednisone 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 Prednisone 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 Prednisone 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

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

29 days ago today
Medication Prednisone
Top 1%

#20 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 Prednisone

What Is Prednisone Used For?

Brand names: Deltasone, Cortan, Orasone, Prednisone, Prednicen-M, Meticorten, Sterapred, Rayos

Prednisone treats a broad range of conditions where the body's immune system is overactive or inflammation needs to be controlled. It works across many organ systems, from the lungs and skin to the joints and blood.

Doctors prescribe it for conditions like asthma, severe allergies, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis flares, certain cancers, and to prevent organ rejection after transplant, among many others.

See full Prednisone 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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Corn Silk and Prednisone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Corn Silk with Prednisone?
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 Corn Silk and Prednisone 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 Prednisone and Corn Silk?

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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.