Drug & supplement interaction

Danshen + Lactulose

Lactulose brand names: Cephulac, Constulose, Constilac, Evalose, Laxilose, and others.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Danshen and Lactulose in our sources. Absence of a documented interaction is not the same as proven safety, and does not guarantee one does not exist. Do not start, stop, or change a medication or supplement based on this page; confirm with your pharmacist or doctor first. Additionally, although there is no interaction, the two are separately associated with some of the same side effects, which would make a new symptom harder to attribute to one or the other.

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Interaction report

Danshen and Lactulose

We checked these two against our interaction database. Here is what we found.

No Known Interaction Found

We did not find a documented interaction between Lactulose and Danshen in our sources. This does not guarantee that the combination is completely free of risk — there is often limited research on supplements and herbal products, especially around drug interactions.

If you decide to take both, the practical routine is simple: add one new thing at a time and note the date you started it. If the combination is going to disagree with you, it usually shows in the first days to a couple of weeks — and a start date turns “I’ve been feeling off” into something a pharmacist can actually work with. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own.

Always talk with your pharmacist or doctor before making changes to your medications or supplements, particularly if you take several medications or have an ongoing health condition.

Danshen safety at a glance

Danshen overall Use caution May be used short-term by some adults, but it can affect blood clotting and quality varies between products.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information; best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Not enough safety information; best avoided while breastfeeding.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Lactulose and Danshen? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Lactulose

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Lactulose is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Danshen has documented interactions with 16 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (major), digoxin (lanoxin) (major) and amlodipine (norvasc) (moderate) — and none of Lactulose’s classifications are among them.

Classification data comes from our licensed Natural Medicines dataset. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded there, so this describes how the check was run — it is not a safety guarantee.

Keep it in perspective

Danshen Does Interact With Other Medications

Danshen has 123 major, 936 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Lactulose isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 123 Moderate 936 No known interaction 1,771 (incl. Lactulose)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Danshen

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

What to actually watch for

No Interaction Found — But Data Suggests Danshen and Lactulose May Share a Side Effect

This is not an interaction. Neither one changes how your body handles the other, and nothing here says they react together. What our sources do show is that each has separately been linked to the effects below — so taking both can make those effects more likely to turn up, and harder to pin on one or the other if they do.

  • Stomach upset Additional detail

    Danshen

    “Orally, danshen seems to be well tolerated. There is limited reliable information available about the adverse effects of danshen when used intravenously.

    Most Common Adverse Effects:

    Orally or intravenously: Upset stomach, pruritus, and reduced appetite.”

    Danshen · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in pruritus.

    Lactulose

    Listed in the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of the FDA label for Lactulose. Read the label on DailyMed ›

Reported for Danshen but not commonly for Lactulose: reduced appetite, a low platelet count, drowsiness and dizziness.

Effects for Lactulose come from the ADVERSE REACTIONS section of its FDA label; effects for Danshen come from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, quoted above. Where a percentage is shown, it is the share of 38,211 voluntary FDA FAERS reports for Lactulose that mention that effect — a reporting proportion, not an incidence rate and not evidence the drug caused it. Wording is matched across sources by our own clinical vocabulary, so treat this as a prompt to pay attention, not a diagnosis.

From our Q&A

Questions About Danshen or Lactulose

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

This page covers Danshen only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Lactulose page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

Open the Lactulose interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 18 real supplement products containing Danshen, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Danshen. Even though Danshen itself has no known interaction with Lactulose, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Danshen and Lactulose 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 Danshen
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Lactulose
Top half

#1,194 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.

Where does our data come from?
  • Source: the Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) clinical database — the evidence-graded professional reference for herb & supplement interactions.
  • Citation library: 103,510 references behind our interaction content, 65,311 of them resolved to verified PubMed/DOI sources. See every Danshen reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Danshen and Lactulose records this page draws on were last updated July 10, 2026.
  • What “no known interaction” means: no documented interaction in the sources above — not a guarantee of safety. Supplements are studied far less than prescription drugs, so we say exactly what the evidence supports, and nothing more.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Danshen

What is Danshen?

Danshen
  • Heart and circulation support
  • Angina (chest pain)
  • High blood pressure
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Liver health

Danshen is a root used in traditional Chinese medicine, mainly for heart and circulation problems. Some early research is promising, but the evidence is not strong enough to confirm it works for any condition, and it may affect blood clotting. Talk to a pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you take other medicines or have a health condition.

Salvia miltiorrhiza · Lamiaceae · Root · Capsules, tablets, dried root, teas, tinctures, and injectable forms used in some Asian countries

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Danshen is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Danshen record says about it on its own.

Danshen: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose of Danshen for any condition. Studies have used different forms, strengths, and preparations, which makes it hard to recommend a single dose.If you choose to use a Danshen product, follow the directions on the product label and do not take more than recommended.

From our Danshen monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Danshen monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Lactulose

What Is Lactulose Used For?

Brand names: Cephulac, Constulose, Constilac, Evalose, Laxilose, Enulose, Cholac, Heptalac, Generlac, Acilac, Chronulac, Duphalac

Lactulose is used for two main purposes, depending on the product. Constulose (oral solution) and Kristalose (powder for oral solution) are indicated for the treatment of constipation, helping increase the number of bowel movements in people with chronic constipation.

Enulose, Generlac, and Lactulose oral/rectal solutions are used to prevent and treat portal-systemic encephalopathy (PSE) — a condition where the liver cannot clear ammonia from the blood, causing confusion and even coma. These products work to lower blood ammonia levels and improve mental function in affected patients.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Lactulose

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (38,211 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Nausea 2,627 reports
Constipation 2,569 reports
Fall 2,304 reports
Vomiting 2,143 reports
Fatigue 2,099 reports
See full Lactulose drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Danshen

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

123Major
936Moderate
0Minor
1,770No known interaction
123 Major 936 Moderate 1,770 No interaction
Major

123 interactions

Showing 60 of 123 major interactions — see all 123 on the Danshen page.

Moderate

936 interactions

Showing 60 of 936 moderate interactions — see all 936 on the Danshen page.

No interaction 1,770 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Danshen against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,770 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Danshen list.

See the full Danshen interactions page
See every supplement checked against Lactulose, ranked by severity
Evidence & sources

Danshen References

The 28 references that drive our Danshen monograph and interaction data, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Citations with a link open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

  1. McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
  2. Yu CM, Chan JC, Sanderson JE. Chinese herbs and warfarin potentiation by danshen. J Intern Med 1997;241:337-9. PubMed
  3. Tam LS, et al. Warfarin interacions with Chinese traditional medicines: danshen and methyl salicylate medicated oil. Aust N Z J Med 1995;25:258.
  4. Chan TY. Interaction between warfarin and danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). Ann Pharmacother 2001;35:501-4. DOI
  5. Chan TY. Drug interactions as a cause of overanticoagulation and bleedings in Chinese patients receiving warfarin. Int J Clin Pharmacol Ther 1998;36:403-5.
  6. Izzat MB, Yim APC, El-Zufari MH. A taste of Chinese medicine! Ann Thorac Surg 1998;66:941-2. PubMed
  7. Heck AM, DeWitt BA, Lukes AL. Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2000;57:1221-7. DOI
  8. Wahed A, Dasgupta A. Positive and negative in vitro interference of Chinese medicine dan shen in serum digoxin measurement. Elimination of interference by monitoring free digoxin concentration. Am J Clin Pathol 2001;116:403-408. PubMed
  9. Wu B, Liu M, Zhang S. Dan Shen agents for acute ischaemic stroke. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2007;(2):CD004295. PubMed
  10. Qiu F, Wang G, Zhang R, Sun J, et al. Effect of danshen extract on the activity of CYP3A4 in healthy volunteers. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2010;69:656-62. PubMed
  11. Li CP, Yung KH, and Chiu KW. Hypotensive action of Salvia miltiorrhiza cell culture extract. American Journal of Chinese Medicine 1990;18(3-4):157-166.
  12. Chu Y, Zhang L, Wang XY, Guo JH, Guo ZX, Ma XH. The effect of Compound Danshen Dripping Pills, a Chinese herb medicine, on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of warfarin in rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2011 Oct 11;137(3):1457-61. PubMed
  13. Ma S, Ju W, Dai G, Zhao W, Cheng X, Fang Z, Tan H, Wang X. Synergistic effects of clopidogrel and fufang danshen dripping pills by modulation of the metabolism target and pharmacokinetics. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:789142. PubMed
  14. Qiu F, Jiang J, Ma Y, Wang G, Gao C, Zhang X, Zhang L, Liu S, He M, Zhu L, Ye Y, Li Q, Miao P. Opposite Effects of Single-Dose and Multidose Administration of the Ethanol Extract of Danshen on CYP3A in Healthy Volunteers. Evid Based Complement Alternat Me PubMed
  15. Qiu F, Zeng J, Liu S, He M, Zhu L, Ye Y, Miao P, Shen S, Jiang J. Effects of danshen ethanol extract on the pharmacokinetics of fexofenadine in healthy volunteers. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014;2014:473213. PubMed

Medication overviews come from MedlinePlus (NIH); supplement label data from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Danshen and Lactulose Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Danshen with Lactulose?
We do not list a known interaction between Danshen and Lactulose. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Do Danshen and Lactulose have any of the same side effects?
Yes — our sources link each of them separately to one of the same effects. That is not an interaction: neither changes how your body handles the other. It does mean that if one of those effects turns up, it can be harder to tell which one is behind it. They are listed on this page with the source behind each.
How was the Danshen and Lactulose combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Lactulose is filed under 1 classification, and Danshen has documented interactions with 16 drug classes — none of Lactulose's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Danshen interact with any other medications?
Yes. Danshen has 1,059 documented drug interactions in our database — Lactulose is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Lactulose interact with any supplements?
Yes. Lactulose has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Danshen is not one of them. The Lactulose interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Where next

Keep Exploring

Danshen monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Lactulose drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Lactulose supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Lactulose, ranked by severity Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements References The 28 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Lactulose and Danshen?

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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.