Drug & supplement interaction

Dendrobium + Dextromethorphan

Dextromethorphan brand names: Hold, Benylin Adult, Benylin Pediatric, Theraflu Thin Strips Long Acting Cough, Neo Citran Thin Strips Cough.

No Known Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated July 2026 · Pair last verified Oct 4, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Dendrobium and Dextromethorphan 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.

Know someone taking this? Share
Facebook Post Reddit Email
On this page
Interaction report

Dendrobium and Dextromethorphan

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 Dextromethorphan and Dendrobium 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.

Dendrobium safety at a glance

Dendrobium overall Use caution Generally used in traditional medicine, but modern safety data in people is limited.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid No reliable safety data while breastfeeding, so avoid use.

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

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

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Dextromethorphan

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Dextromethorphan is filed under 6 classifications — including serotonergic drugs, serotonergic drugs, cytochrome p450 2d6 (cyp2d6) substrates. Dendrobium has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — the most serious being anticonvulsants (moderate), seizure threshold lowering drugs (moderate) and antihypertensive drugs (minor) — and none of Dextromethorphan’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

Dendrobium Does Interact With Other Medications

Dendrobium has 461 moderate, 148 minor known drug interactions in our database — Dextromethorphan isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 461 Minor 148 No known interaction 2,221 (incl. Dextromethorphan)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Dendrobium

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

What to actually watch for

What Dendrobium Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Dextromethorphan. It is the side-effect record for Dendrobium on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Dendrobium, this list is the first place to look.

  • Anxiety or restlessness / Trouble sleeping / Stomach upset Additional detail

    “Orally, a thorough evaluation of safety outcomes has not been conducted. The only reports of adverse effects, including jitteriness, upset stomach, and insomnia, are related to the use of a combination product that was found to contain amphetamine-like ingredients. It is unclear whether any of these effects can be attributed to dendrobium.”

    Dendrobium · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in insomnia.

    2 sources cited
    1. 90320. Kedia AW, Hofheins JE, Habowski SM, et al. Effects of a pre-workout supplement on lean mass, muscular performance, subjective workout experience and markers of safety. Int J Med Sci 2014;11(2):116-26.
    2. 100517. Warning Letter: Driven Sports, Inc 04/04/14. FDA Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations, April 4, 2014. https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/driven-sports-inc-0404201

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Dendrobium — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Dextromethorphan to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Dextromethorphan.

From our Q&A

Questions About Dendrobium or Dextromethorphan

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

This page covers Dendrobium only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Dextromethorphan page lists 171 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), Lithium (major), St. John's Wort (major) and 1,3-dmaa (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 125 moderate · 42 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Dextromethorphan page

“A glass of grapefruit juice can push dextromethorphan (Benylin, Hold, and other cough medicines) to higher levels than intended, one of four major-rated entries among the 171 supplements and herbs on file, and the list as a whole warrants real care. Most interactions trace back to the liver enzymes (CYP3A4 and CYP2D6) that clear dextro…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Dextromethorphan interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 117 real supplement products containing Dendrobium, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Dendrobium. Even though Dendrobium itself has no known interaction with Dextromethorphan, 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 Dendrobium and Dextromethorphan 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 Dendrobium
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Dextromethorphan
Top 25%

#395 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 Dendrobium reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified October 4, 2026. The Dendrobium and Dextromethorphan 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 Dendrobium

What is Dendrobium?

  • Dry mouth and thirst
  • Supporting digestion
  • General tonic/vitality
  • Eye and skin health
  • Recovery after illness

Dendrobium is a group of orchids long used in traditional Chinese medicine, often to moisten the body and as a general tonic. Human evidence for its modern health claims is very limited, so it should be viewed as a traditional remedy rather than a proven treatment. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding because safety isn't known.

Dendrobium nobile · Orchidaceae · Stems (and sometimes whole plant) · Dried stems, tea, decoction, powder, capsules, tinctures

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

Dendrobium: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose of Dendrobium. Traditional preparations are usually made as teas or decoctions from the dried stems, while modern products come in capsules, powders, and liquid extracts with very different strengths.Because a proven safe and effective dose has not been set, the best approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed them.

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

Read the full Dendrobium monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Dextromethorphan

What Is Dextromethorphan Used For?

Brand names: Hold, Benylin Adult, Benylin Pediatric, Theraflu Thin Strips Long Acting Cough, Neo Citran Thin Strips Cough

Dextromethorphan temporarily relieves cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation. This can happen with the common cold or from inhaled irritants.

Some products are also labeled to help you get to sleep by reducing the urge to cough. Some labels also list helping reduce how intense the coughing is. Honey Works syrup, Premier Value Tussin Cough and CVS Long Acting Cough liquids are also labeled to help loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions so they drain from the bronchial tubes.

Most-Reported Side Effects for Dextromethorphan

From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (58,576 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.

Dizziness 3,563 reports
Diarrhea 3,371 reports
Nausea 3,324 reports
Dyspnea 3,103 reports
Fatigue 3,078 reports
See full Dextromethorphan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Dendrobium

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

0Major
461Moderate
148Minor
2,220No known interaction
461 Moderate 148 Minor 2,220 No interaction
Moderate

461 interactions

Showing 60 of 461 moderate interactions — see all 461 on the Dendrobium page.

Minor

148 interactions

Showing 60 of 148 minor interactions — see all 148 on the Dendrobium page.

No interaction 2,220 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,220 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Dendrobium list.

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

Dendrobium References

The 3 references that drive our Dendrobium 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. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. Available at: http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/.
  2. Kedia AW, Hofheins JE, Habowski SM, et al. Effects of a pre-workout supplement on lean mass, muscular performance, subjective workout experience and markers of safety. Int J Med Sci 2014;11(2):116-26.
  3. Warning Letter: Driven Sports, Inc 04/04/14. FDA Inspections, Compliance, Enforcement, and Criminal Investigations, April 4, 2014. https://www.fda.gov/inspections-compliance-enforcement-and-criminal-investigations/warning-letters/driven-sports-inc-0404201

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 Dendrobium and Dextromethorphan Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Dendrobium with Dextromethorphan?
We do not list a known interaction between Dendrobium and Dextromethorphan. 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.
How was the Dendrobium and Dextromethorphan combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Dextromethorphan is filed under 6 classifications, and Dendrobium has documented interactions with 3 drug classes — none of Dextromethorphan'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 Dendrobium interact with any other medications?
Yes. Dendrobium has 609 documented drug interactions in our database — Dextromethorphan 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 Dextromethorphan interact with any supplements?
Yes. Dextromethorphan has documented interactions with 171 supplements in our database — Dendrobium is not one of them. The Dextromethorphan 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

Dendrobium monograph Uses, safety profile, and every drug interaction in one place Dextromethorphan drug information The full plain-English guide to this medication Dextromethorphan supplement interactions Every supplement checked against Dextromethorphan, 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 3 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Dextromethorphan and Dendrobium?

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.