Drug & supplement interaction

Devil's Claw + Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate

Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate brand name: Tritec.

Minor Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Minor

Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate falls into 2 drug categories that Devil's Claw can interact with; the most serious is rated minor. Theoretically, devil's claw might increase levels of P-glycoprotein substrates.

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

Devil's Claw and Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate

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. Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate 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 (Minor).

Minor

P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES

1 of 2

Why this applies to Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate

Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate falls under P-GLYCOPROTEIN SUBSTRATES — the group Devil's Claw interacts with.

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 gist with devil's claw and your ranitidine bismuth citrate (Tritec). In a lab dish, devil's claw appears to block a cellular pump called P-glycoprotein, which normally shuttles certain drugs out of cells. Since ranitidine is one of those drugs, the theory is that devil's claw could let a little more of it linger inside your cells, slightly nudging up its levels.

In real life, this is a minor, mostly theoretical concern. It comes from test-tube work, not from people, so we don't actually know if it matters. Even if levels rose a bit, ranitidine is a gentle medicine, and the most you'd likely notice is mild things like headache or constipation. Still, if you plan to use both regularly, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor.

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
Minor

H2-BLOCKERS

2 of 2

Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate also falls under H2-BLOCKERS.

Theoretically, devil's claw might decrease the effectiveness of H2-blockers.
Devil's claw has been reported to increase stomach acid, which might interfere with the effects of H2-blockers.
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 gist with devil's claw and your ranitidine bismuth citrate (Tritec). Tritec is an H2-blocker, meaning its whole job is to dial down the acid your stomach makes so ulcers can heal and heartburn settles. There have been a few reports that devil's claw might nudge stomach acid in the other direction, slightly upward. If that happens, it could work against what your Tritec is trying to do, so you might notice your heartburn, sour stomach, or ulcer symptoms aren't as well controlled.

I want to be honest about how weak this is: it's a theoretical, anecdotal concern, not something proven in solid studies. It won't make Tritec dangerous, just possibly a touch less effective. If you'd like to try devil's claw for joint pain, run it by your pharmacist or doctor first and keep an eye on your symptoms.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.

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 731 moderate, 72 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 731 Minor 72 No known interaction 2,027 (incl. Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate)
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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate

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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate, 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate

This page covers Devil's Claw only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate page lists 73 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), St. John's Wort (major), African Wild Potato (moderate), Banderol (moderate) and Beer (moderate).

By severity: 2 major · 43 moderate · 28 minor.

Open the Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate
Top half

#1,281 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 Ranitidine

What Is Ranitidine Used For?

Brand name: Tritec

Ranitidine is used to treat several acid-related stomach and esophageal conditions. These include active duodenal ulcers (ulcers in the small intestine) and benign gastric ulcers (stomach ulcers), GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease, or chronic acid reflux), erosive esophagitis (irritation and damage to the esophagus from acid), and pathological hypersecretory conditions — rare disorders where the stomach produces too much acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and systemic mastocytosis. It is also used as maintenance therapy to keep ulcers and esophagitis from coming back after healing.

Over-the-counter products Acid Reducer and Wal-Zan tablets are specifically labeled to relieve heartburn associated with acid indigestion and sour stomach, and to prevent heartburn brought on by certain foods or beverages.

See full Ranitidine 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
731Moderate
72Minor
2,026No known interaction
731 Moderate 72 Minor 2,026 No interaction
Moderate

731 interactions

Showing 60 of 731 moderate interactions — see all 731 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 2,026 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 2,026 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate, 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate, ranked by severity Ranitidine 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate Together: Common Questions

Can you take Devil's Claw with Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate?
There is only a minor interaction, which is usually not serious. 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate?
Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate 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 Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate interaction?
We rate it Minor. This interaction is generally not clinically significant, but it remains worth noting and discussing with your pharmacist.

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

Still Have a Question About Ranitidine Bismuth Citrate 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.