Drug & supplement interaction

Elderflower + 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 Sep 20, 2026
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Elderflower 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.

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Interaction report

Elderflower 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 Elderflower 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.

Elderflower safety at a glance

Elderflower overall Use caution Properly prepared flowers are generally well tolerated, but raw plant parts can be toxic.
Pregnancy Avoid There is not enough reliable safety information, so it is best to avoid.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety has not been studied, so avoid unless your doctor approves.

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

Still wondering about combining Dextromethorphan and Elderflower? 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. Elderflower has documented interactions with 1 drug class — the most serious being antidiabetes drugs (moderate) — 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

Elderflower Does Interact With Other Medications

Elderflower has 86 moderate 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 86 No known interaction 2,744 (incl. Dextromethorphan)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Elderflower

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

What to actually watch for

What Elderflower Itself Has Been Linked To

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

  • Diarrhea Additional detail

    “Diarrhea and colic have been reported after drinking a tea made from elderflower, anise fruit, fennel fruit, and senna flowers. It is not clear if these effects were due to elderflower or the other ingredients.”

    Elderflower · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in diarrhea.

    1 source cited
    1. 49494. Picon, P. D., Picon, R. V., Costa, A. F., Sander, G. B., Amaral, K. M., Aboy, A. L., and Henriques, A. T. Randomized clinical trial of a phytotherapic compound containing Pimpinella anisum, Foeniculum vulgare, Sambucus nigra, and Cassia augustifolia for

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Elderflower — 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.

Overlapping uses

What Dextromethorphan Is Prescribed For, and What Elderflower Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Dextromethorphan is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Elderflower is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Dextromethorphan is prescribed for: Dextromethorphan temporarily relieves cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation, such as the kind that comes with the common cold or breathing in irritants. It also helps reduce the urge to cough so you — or your child — can get to sleep. Some products, including CVS Long Acting Cough and Premier Value Tussin Cough oral liquids, are also indicated to help loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to help drain the airways.

Elderflower has been studied for:

  • Common cold studied, not established Elderflower has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Elderflower for common cold

    Although there has been interest in using oral elderflower for the common cold, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of elderflower for this purpose.

Effectiveness ratings and the research summaries above are the verbatim record from the Natural Medicines database, which grades evidence from “Effective” down to “Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate”. A rating below the top of that scale means researchers have looked at it — not that it works, and never that it can stand in for a prescribed medicine. Do not stop or replace Dextromethorphan on your own; if you are taking Elderflower for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

From our Q&A

Questions About Elderflower 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 Elderflower 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 Elderflower 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

How much people look this up

Where Elderflower 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 Elderflower
Steady interest

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

29 days ago today
Medication Dextromethorphan
Top 10%

#272 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 Elderflower reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 20, 2026. The Elderflower 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 Elderflower

What is Elderflower?

  • Colds and flu
  • Sinus congestion
  • Fever and sweating
  • Sore throat
  • Coughs

Elderflower comes from the elder plant (Sambucus nigra) and is traditionally used as a tea or extract for colds, sinus congestion, and fever. Good-quality human evidence is limited, so it should be seen as a soothing traditional remedy rather than a proven treatment. Raw or unripe parts of the plant can be toxic, so use only properly prepared products, and check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

Sambucus nigra · Adoxaceae · Dried flowers · Tea, liquid extract, tincture, capsules, syrups, lozenges

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

Elderflower: dosing

There is no official standardized dose for elderflower. The right amount depends on the product, its strength, and how it is prepared (tea, extract, or tincture).The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed the recommended amount.

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

Read the full Elderflower 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, such as the kind that comes with the common cold or breathing in irritants. It also helps reduce the urge to cough so you — or your child — can get to sleep.

Some products, including CVS Long Acting Cough and Premier Value Tussin Cough oral liquids, are also indicated to help loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to help drain the airways.

See full Dextromethorphan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Elderflower

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

0Major
86Moderate
0Minor
2,743No known interaction
86 Moderate 2,743 No interaction
Moderate

86 interactions

Showing 60 of 86 moderate interactions — see all 86 on the Elderflower page.

No interaction 2,743 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,743 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Elderflower list.

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

Elderflower References

The 2 references that drive our Elderflower 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. Gray AM, Abdel-Wahab YH, Flatt PR. The traditional plant treatment, Sambucus nigra (elder), exhibits insulin-like and insulin-releasing actions in vitro. J Nutr 2000;130:15-20. PubMed
  2. Picon, P. D., Picon, R. V., Costa, A. F., Sander, G. B., Amaral, K. M., Aboy, A. L., and Henriques, A. T. Randomized clinical trial of a phytotherapic compound containing Pimpinella anisum, Foeniculum vulgare, Sambucus nigra, and Cassia augustifolia for

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 Elderflower and Dextromethorphan Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Elderflower with Dextromethorphan?
We do not list a known interaction between Elderflower 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.
Are Elderflower and Dextromethorphan used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Elderflower in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Dextromethorphan is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Elderflower and Dextromethorphan combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Dextromethorphan is filed under 6 classifications, and Elderflower has documented interactions with 1 drug class — 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 Elderflower interact with any other medications?
Yes. Elderflower has 86 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 — Elderflower 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

Elderflower 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 2 citations behind this page Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team

Still Have a Question About Dextromethorphan and Elderflower?

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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.