Drug & supplement interaction

Hercules Club + Esomeprazole

Esomeprazole brand name: Nexium.

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

Hercules Club has a minor interaction with Esomeprazole. Theoretically, Hercules club may decrease the clinical effects of PPIs.

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

Hercules Club and Esomeprazole

Here is the interaction we found between these two, with the evidence behind it.

Minor

PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPIs)

Why this applies to Esomeprazole

Esomeprazole falls under PROTON PUMP INHIBITORS (PPIs) — the group Hercules Club interacts with.

Theoretically, Hercules club may decrease the clinical effects of PPIs.
Due to reports that Hercules club increases stomach acid, Hercules club might decrease the effectiveness of PPIs.
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 esomeprazole (Nexium) and Hercules Club. Esomeprazole works by quieting down the acid pumps in your stomach lining, which calms heartburn and lets an irritated esophagus heal. The concern on file is that Hercules Club may, by some old anecdotal reports, nudge your stomach to make more acid. If that's true, it could work against what esomeprazole is doing and leave you with breakthrough heartburn, regurgitation, or that burning chest feeling creeping back.

I'll be honest: this is a weak, theoretical interaction based only on folk reports, not solid studies, and it's rated minor. So I wouldn't lose sleep over it. Still, if you notice your reflux acting up after adding this herb, mention it to your pharmacist or doctor before changing anything.

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

Hercules Club Also Interacts With Other Medications

Hercules Club has 35 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Esomeprazole one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Minor 35 No known interaction 2,795 (incl. Esomeprazole)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Hercules Club

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Hercules Club or Esomeprazole

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

This page covers Hercules Club only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Esomeprazole page lists 154 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Grapefruit (major), St. John's Wort (major), Acacia Rigidula (moderate) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 102 moderate · 49 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Esomeprazole page

“St. John's wort can lower the amount of esomeprazole (Nexium) in your blood by speeding up how the liver clears it, which can leave heartburn or ulcer treatment falling short.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Esomeprazole interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Hercules Club and Esomeprazole 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 Hercules Club
Steady interest

#1,369 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Esomeprazole
Top 10%

#154 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 Hercules Club

What is Hercules Club?

Hercules Club
  • Toothache and mouth pain
  • Indigestion and sluggish digestion
  • Rheumatism and joint pain
  • Circulation (as a stimulant or tonic)
  • Sore throat

Hercules Club (southern prickly ash) is a traditional folk remedy used mainly for toothache, digestion, and joint pain, often by chewing the bark, which causes a tingling, numbing feeling in the mouth. Modern scientific evidence supporting these uses is very limited, and safety has not been well studied, so it is best to talk with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

Read the full Hercules Club monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Esomeprazole

What Is Esomeprazole Used For?

Brand name: Nexium

Esomeprazole treats problems caused by excess stomach acid. It's used to heal erosive esophagitis (damage to the esophagus from acid), control GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) symptoms like heartburn, and protect the stomach lining in people at risk for ulcers caused by NSAIDs (anti-inflammatory pain relievers like ibuprofen).

It's also used as part of a three-drug combination to wipe out H. pylori — a stomach bacteria linked to ulcers — and for people with rare conditions that cause the stomach to overproduce acid, such as Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.

See full Esomeprazole drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Hercules Club

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

0Major
0Moderate
35Minor
2,794No known interaction
35 Minor 2,794 No interaction
Minor

35 interactions

No interaction 2,794 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,794 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Hercules Club list.

See the full Hercules Club interactions page
See every supplement checked against Esomeprazole, 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
Hercules Club monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Esomeprazole supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Esomeprazole, ranked by severity Esomeprazole 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 Hercules Club and Esomeprazole Together: Common Questions

Can you take Hercules Club with Esomeprazole?
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.
How serious is the Hercules Club and Esomeprazole 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 Esomeprazole and Hercules Club?

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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.