Foxglove + Prednisone
Prednisone brand names: Deltasone, Cortan, Orasone, Prednisone, Prednicen-M, and others.
We found no known interaction between Foxglove and Prednisone 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 label for Prednisone states a food rule worth keeping to, and 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.
Foxglove and Prednisone
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 Prednisone and Foxglove 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.
Foxglove safety at a glance
Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center) — the full detail is in the Special populations card below. Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.
Why No Interaction Is Listed for Prednisone
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Prednisone is filed under 7 classifications — including corticosteroids, cytochrome p450 2c19 (cyp2c19) inducers, immunosuppressants. Foxglove has documented interactions with 6 drug classes — the most serious being digoxin (lanoxin) (major), quinine (major) and diuretic drugs (moderate) — and none of Prednisone’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.
Foxglove Does Interact With Other Medications
Foxglove has 3 major, 130 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Prednisone isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.
Check Another of Your Medications Against Foxglove
We haven’t checked that one against Foxglove yet — ask our pharmacists directly.
Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Foxglove. Pick one to open its full report.
Foxglove in Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
When used orally for self-medication; avoid using.
DISCLAIMER: This tool is intended for informational purposes only, and should not be interpreted as specific medical advice. Patients should consult with a qualified healthcare provider before making decisions about therapies and/or health conditions.© 2026 Therapeutic Research Center
Some Prednisone Products Have a Food Rule — Foxglove Should Not Break It
At least one FDA label for a product containing Prednisone says to take it with food. If you take Foxglove on an empty stomach out of habit, keep them separate — and take Prednisone with a meal where the label says to.
This may not be true of your version. Food instructions belong to the product, not the ingredient: two Prednisone products can carry different directions, and extended-release forms often differ from immediate-release ones. The label we read is quoted below — check the directions on your own box or bottle, or ask your pharmacist, for how to take the exact product you were given.
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION Gastric irritation may be reduced if taken before, during, or immediately after meals or with food or milk.
From the Dosage and Administration section of the FDA label we read for Prednisone — where that label names a specific product, the instruction is that product's. Read the label on DailyMed ›
A food rule is not an interaction — it is about how much of the medicine you absorb. The directions that came with your own product, and your pharmacist, outrank anything on this page.
What Prednisone Is Prescribed For, and What Foxglove Has Been Studied For
These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Prednisone is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Foxglove is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.
Prednisone is prescribed for: Prednisone treats a broad range of conditions where the body's immune system is overactive or inflammation needs to be controlled. It works across many organ systems, from the lungs and skin to the joints and blood. Doctors prescribe it for conditions like asthma, severe allergies, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis flares, certain cancers, and to prevent organ rejection after transplant, among many others.
Foxglove has been studied for:
-
Asthma studied, not established Foxglove has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows
Foxglove for asthma
Although there has been interest in using oral foxglove for asthma, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of foxglove 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 Prednisone on your own; if you are taking Foxglove for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.
Questions About Foxglove 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 Foxglove 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:
- Does Prednisone Stop Cough or Clear Mucus? ›
- Does Activated Charcoal Remove Dexamethasone From the Body? ›
- Concerns Taking Prednisone With Other Drugs For Ménière's Disease ›
Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.
See Every Supplement That Interacts With Prednisone
This page covers Foxglove 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
Taking Foxglove as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions
We hold 1 real supplement products containing Foxglove, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Foxglove. Even though Foxglove itself has no known interaction with Prednisone, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:
Where Foxglove 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.
#682 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days
#22 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days
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 Foxglove reference on this page ↓
- Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Foxglove and Prednisone 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.
About Foxglove
What is Foxglove?
- Heart failure (historical/medical use)
- Irregular heartbeat (historical/medical use)
- Fluid retention or 'dropsy' (historical use)
- Ornamental garden plant
Foxglove is a beautiful but highly poisonous plant that contains powerful heart-affecting compounds called cardiac glycosides. It should never be used as a home remedy or supplement because even small amounts can cause life-threatening heart problems. The purified prescription drugs derived from it (like digoxin) are used only under close medical supervision.
Digitalis purpurea · Plantaginaceae · Leaves (the dried leaf was historically the source of medicine) · Not recommended in any form; historically used as dried leaf, tincture, or purified drug (digoxin/digitoxin)
An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Foxglove is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Foxglove record says about it on its own.
Foxglove: dosing
There is no safe home dose of foxglove. Because the strength of the natural plant cannot be measured reliably, it should not be taken in any amount as a supplement, tea, or tincture.If your doctor decides you need the heart medicine derived from this plant, you will receive a purified, prescription product with a precise dose and regular blood tests and monitoring.
From our Foxglove monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.
About Prednisone
What Is Prednisone Used For?
Brand names: Deltasone, Cortan, Orasone, Prednisone, Prednicen-M, Meticorten, Sterapred, Rayos
Prednisone treats a broad range of conditions where the body's immune system is overactive or inflammation needs to be controlled. It works across many organ systems, from the lungs and skin to the joints and blood.
Doctors prescribe it for conditions like asthma, severe allergies, Crohn's disease, multiple sclerosis flares, certain cancers, and to prevent organ rejection after transplant, among many others.
Most-Reported Side Effects for Prednisone
From FAERS, the FDA’s public side-effect reporting system (499,938 reports, all brands). Reports are voluntary and are not proof the drug caused the effect.
Other Drugs & Foxglove
Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Foxglove — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.
No drugs match “”.
3 interactions
130 interactions
- Doxycycline ›
- Erythromycin ›
- Minocycline ›
- Tetracycline ›
- Hydrochlorothiazide ›
- Trichlormethiazide ›
- Azithromycin ›
- Bendroflumethiazide ›
- Doxycycline Hyclate ›
- Erythromycin Ethylsuccinate ›
- Erythromycin Stearate ›
- Metolazone ›
- Phenolphthalein ›
- Spironolactone ›
- Acetazolamide ›
- Bisacodyl ›
- Chlorthalidone ›
- Clarithromycin ›
- Cyclothiazide ›
- Indapamide ›
- Mannitol ›
- Methyclothiazide ›
- Minocycline Hydrochloride ›
- Retapamulin ›
- Sennosides (otc Drug) ›
- Torsemide ›
- Ammonium Chloride ›
- Armodafinil ›
- Benzthiazide ›
- Bumetanide ›
- Casanthranol ›
- Castor Oil (otc Drug) ›
- Chlorothiazide ›
- Chlortetracycline ›
- Dehydrocholic Acid ›
- Demeclocycline ›
- Dirithromycin ›
- Doripenem ›
- Doxycycline Monohydrate ›
- Doxycyline ›
- Eravacycline ›
- Erythromycin Gluceptate ›
- Erythromycin Lactobionate ›
- Ethacrynic Acid ›
- Fidaxomicin ›
- Furosemide ›
- Hydroflumethiazide ›
- Magnesium Hydroxide (otc Drug) ›
- Methazolamide ›
- Omadacycline (iv) ›
- Omadacycline (oral) ›
- Oxytetracycline ›
- Polythiazide ›
- Quinethazone ›
- Theobromine ›
- Tigecycline ›
- Troleandomycin ›
- Urea ›
- Hydrochlorothiazide, Triamterene ›
- Amiloride, Hydrochlorothiazide ›
Showing 60 of 130 moderate interactions — see all 130 on the Foxglove page.
No interaction 2,696 drugs checked — show the list
We also checked Foxglove against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.
- Apixaban ›
- Levothyroxine ›
- Amlodipine ›
- Methylphenidate ›
- Warfarin ›
- Sertraline ›
- Testosterone ›
- Losartan Potassium ›
- Metoprolol ›
- Aspirin ›
- Ivermectin ›
- Rivaroxaban ›
- Rosuvastatin ›
- Escitalopram ›
- Tadalafil ›
- Acetaminophen ›
- Clopidogrel ›
- Valacyclovir ›
- Atorvastatin ›
- Docusate ›
- Hydroxyurea ›
- Abemaciclib ›
- Methamphetamine ›
- Sumatriptan ›
- Ibuprofen ›
- Semaglutide ›
- Tirzepatide ›
- Warfarin Sodium ›
- Propranolol ›
- Lisdexamfetamine ›
- Acyclovir ›
- Bupropion ›
- Metformin ›
- Amoxicillin ›
- Lisinopril ›
- Bendamustine ›
- Amitriptyline ›
- Lamotrigine ›
- Fluoxetine ›
- Methotrexate ›
- Acetaminophen, Codeine ›
- Gabapentin ›
- Amphetamine ›
- Pregabalin ›
- Isotretinoin ›
- Dextroamphetamine ›
- Clonazepam ›
- Quetiapine ›
- Omeprazole ›
- Amlodipine Besylate ›
- Methylene Blue ›
- Duloxetine ›
- Letrozole ›
- Buspirone ›
- Citalopram ›
- Ciprofloxacin ›
- Naproxen ›
- Bisoprolol ›
- Levothyroxine, Liothyronine ›
- Acetaminophen, Oxycodone ›
Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,696 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Foxglove list.
Foxglove References
The 19 references that drive our Foxglove 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.
- Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
- The Review of Natural Products by Facts and Comparisons. St. Louis, MO: Wolters Kluwer Co., 1999.
- McGuffin M, Hobbs C, Upton R, Goldberg A, eds. American Herbal Products Association's Botanical Safety Handbook. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, LLC 1997.
- Ellenhorn MJ, et al. Ellenhorn's Medical Toxicology: Diagnoses and Treatment of Human Poisoning. 2nd ed. Baltimore, MD: Williams & Wilkins, 1997.
- Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 2nd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1998.
- Gossel TA, Bricker JD. Principles of Clinical Toxicology. New York, NY:Raven Press, 1994.
- De Smet PAGM, Keller K, Hansel R, Chandler RF, Eds. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 1. Verlag, Berlin: Springer, 1992. DOI
- Burnham TH, ed. Drug Facts and Comparisons, Updated Monthly. Facts and Comparisons, St. Louis, MO.
- Ramlakhan, S. L. and Fletcher, A. K. It could have happened to Van Gogh: a case of fatal purple foxglove poisoning and review of the literature. Eur.J Emerg.Med 2007;14(6):356-359. PubMed
- Yaginuma, M., Orimo, S., Kurosawa, T., Arai, M., and Hiyamuta, E. [Muscle weakness of the upper arms in the last trimester of administering digitalis]. Rinsho Shinkeigaku 1988;28(3):338-341.
- Friedman, P. L. and Smith, T. W. Foxglove and Fab: immunological approaches to digitalis intoxication. Int.J.Cardiol. 1983;3(2):237-240. PubMed
- Rich, S. A., Libera, J. M., and Locke, R. J. Treatment of foxglove extract poisoning with digoxin-specific Fab fragments. Ann.Emerg.Med 1993;22(12):1904-1907. PubMed
- Janssen RM, Berg M, Ovakim DH. Two cases of cardiac glycoside poisoning from accidental foxglove ingestion. CMAJ. 2016;188(10):747-50. PubMed
- Lin CC, Yang CC, Phua DH, Deng JF, Lu LH. An outbreak of foxglove leaf poisoning. J Chin Med Assoc. 2010;73(2):97-100. PubMed
- Wu IL, Yu JH, Lin CC, Seak CJ, Olson KR, Chen HY. Fatal cardiac glycoside poisoning due to mistaking foxglove for comfrey. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2017:1-4. PubMed
- Negroni MS, Marengo A, Caruso D, et al. A case report of accidental intoxication following ingestion of foxglove confused with borage: High digoxinemia without major complications. Case Rep Cardiol. 2019;2019:9707428. PubMed
- Maes KR, Depuydt P, Vermassen J, De Paepe P, Buylaert W, Lyphout C. Foxglove poisoning: diagnostic and therapeutic differences with medicinal digitalis glycosides overdose. Acta Clin Belg. 2020:1-7. PubMed
- Lehmann A, Späni S, Harings-Kaim A, Probst C, Christ A, Leuppi-Taegtmeyer AB. A case of intoxication with tea made from Digitalis purpurea. Glob Cardiol Sci Pract 2021;2021(1):e202102. PubMed
- Rouault E, Ghnassia C, Filippi-Codaccioni E, Maillard N. Dose and efficacy of repeated administrations of digoxin-specific antibody fragments: Case report of foxglove poisoning. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol 2021;128(1):183-186. 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.
Prednisone Is Linked to Lower Levels of 8 Nutrients
Natural Medicines records Prednisone as a medicine that can lower these. This is not an interaction with Foxglove — it is a separate effect of the medicine, and it is a reason some people are advised to supplement rather than to avoid one:
Read the full Prednisone nutrient depletion report ›
Depletion records come from the licensed Natural Medicines database. Do not start a supplement on the strength of this page — ask your pharmacist or doctor whether it applies to you.
Taking Foxglove and Prednisone Together: Common Questions
Is it safe to take Foxglove with Prednisone?
Do Foxglove and Prednisone have any of the same side effects?
Should I take Foxglove and Prednisone at the same time of day?
Are Foxglove and Prednisone used for the same thing?
How was the Foxglove and Prednisone combination checked?
Does Foxglove interact with any other medications?
Does Prednisone interact with any supplements?
Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy
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Still Have a Question About Prednisone and Foxglove?
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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.