Drug & supplement interaction

Devil's Claw + Prednisone

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

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated October 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Prednisone falls into 2 drug categories that Devil's Claw can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, devil's claw might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

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

Devil's Claw and Prednisone

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

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

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

Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Prednisone

Prednisone falls under CYTOCHROME P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) SUBSTRATES — the group Devil's Claw interacts with.

Theoretically, devil's claw might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.
In vitro research shows that devil's claw might inhibit CYP3A4, although this has not been reported in humans.
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 gist: your body uses a liver enzyme called CYP3A4 to help clear prednisone. In test-tube studies, devil's claw seemed to slow that enzyme down a bit. If that happened in real life, prednisone could hang around a little longer and build up, which might mean stronger steroid effects like fluid retention, raised blood sugar, trouble sleeping, mood swings, or stomach upset.

But I want to keep this in perspective. This is only lab and animal data, and it has never actually been shown to happen in people, so I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Still, since you'd often be taking both for the same joint or back pain, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor before combining them.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Unger M, Frank A. Simultaneous determination of the inhibitory potency of herbal extracts on the activity of six major cytochrome P450 enzymes using liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and automated online extraction. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 2004;1 PubMed
Minor

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Prednisone also falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, devil's claw might increase levels of P-glycoprotein substrates.
In vitro research shows that devil's claw inhibits P-glycoprotein, which transports many drugs out of cells. This might increase intracellular levels of P-glycoprotein substrates, although it is unclear if this effect would be clinically important.
Severity Minor 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 short version: there's a theoretical interaction here, and it's a gentle one. Devil's claw has been shown in lab dish studies to block a cellular pump called P-glycoprotein, which helps shuttle certain drugs (including prednisone) out of your cells. If that pump slows down, a little more prednisone could linger inside cells, which in theory might nudge its effects up a bit.

In practice, this has only been seen in test tubes, not in people, so we don't know if it matters at all in real life. If it ever did, you might notice the usual prednisone side effects a touch more (trouble sleeping, mood changes, fluid retention, higher blood sugar). I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but do mention the devil's claw to your pharmacist or doctor so they can keep an eye on things.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Romiti N, Tramonti G, Corti A, Chieli E. Effects of Devil's Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) on the multidrug transporter ABCB1/P-glycoprotein. Phytomedicine 2009;16:1095-100. 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

Devil's Claw Also Interacts With Other Medications

Devil's Claw has 732 moderate, 72 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Prednisone one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 732 Minor 72 No known interaction 2,026 (incl. Prednisone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Devil's Claw

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Devil's Claw. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Devil's Claw 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 Devil's Claw 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 Devil's Claw 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 Devil's Claw as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 585 real supplement products containing Devil's Claw, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Devil's Claw. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Prednisone too, on top of Devil's Claw — 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 Devil's Claw 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 Devil's Claw
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Prednisone
Top 5%

#35 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 Devil's Claw

What is Devil's Claw?

Devil's Claw
  • Osteoarthritis pain
  • Lower back pain
  • Joint pain and stiffness
  • General inflammation
  • Digestive upset and loss of appetite

Devil's claw is a southern African plant used mainly for arthritis and back pain, and some studies suggest it may help ease these types of discomfort. The evidence is moderate at best, and product strength varies, so talk with your pharmacist or doctor before trying it, especially if you have a health condition or take medications.

Read the full Devil's Claw monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Prednisone

What Is Prednisone Used For?

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

Prednisone is used as an anti-inflammatory or immunosuppressive medicine (one that lowers immune activity). It treats many conditions across several body systems.

Main groups include:

  • Allergic conditions, such as severe allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and drug reactions
  • Joint and autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
  • Skin, gut, blood, eye, lung and kidney conditions
  • Hormone (endocrine) conditions, such as adrenal insufficiency
  • Palliative care for certain leukemias and lymphomas

Prednisone delayed-release tablets (including Rayos) are also labeled for organ transplant rejection, asthma, COPD flares, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The standard tablet and solution labels list other uses, such as bursitis, tenosynovitis and severe psoriasis.

See full Prednisone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Devil's Claw

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

0Major
732Moderate
72Minor
2,025No known interaction
732 Moderate 72 Minor 2,025 No interaction
Moderate

732 interactions

Showing 60 of 732 moderate interactions — see all 732 on the Devil's Claw page.

Minor

72 interactions

Showing 60 of 72 minor interactions — see all 72 on the Devil's Claw page.

No interaction 2,025 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,025 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Devil's Claw list.

See the full Devil's Claw interactions page
See every supplement checked against Prednisone, ranked by severity
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
Devil's Claw monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Prednisone supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Prednisone, ranked by severity Prednisone drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Devil's Claw and Prednisone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Devil's Claw 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.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Devil's Claw and Prednisone?
Prednisone belongs to more than one drug category, and Devil's Claw 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 Devil's Claw 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 Devil's Claw?

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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.