Drug & supplement interaction

Maritime Pine + Prednisone

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

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

Maritime Pine has a moderate interaction with Prednisone. Theoretically, maritime pine bark extract might decrease the effectiveness of immunosuppressant therapy.

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

Maritime Pine and Prednisone

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

Moderate

IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS

Why this applies to Prednisone

Prednisone falls under IMMUNOSUPPRESSANTS — the group Maritime Pine interacts with.

Theoretically, maritime pine bark extract might decrease the effectiveness of immunosuppressant therapy.
In vitro and animal research suggests that maritime pine bark extract has immunostimulant activity. This effect 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 basic idea with Pycnogenol (maritime pine bark) and prednisone. Prednisone is often prescribed to calm down an overactive immune system, whether that's for arthritis, lupus, asthma flares, or a bad allergic reaction. In lab dishes and animal studies, maritime pine bark seems to do the opposite and gently rev up immune activity. So in theory, the two could work against each other, and you might not get the full calming benefit you're counting on from the prednisone.

I want to be honest, though: this has only been seen in test tubes and animals, never confirmed in real people, so it's a soft, theoretical concern rather than a proven problem. Don't stop either one on your own. Just give your pharmacist or doctor a heads-up before you add the pine bark, especially if your prednisone is treating a serious condition.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Rice-Evans CA, Packer L, eds. Flavonoids in Health and Disease. Manhattan, NY: Marcel Dekker, Inc., 1998.
  2. Liu FJ, Zhang YX, Lau BH. Pycnogenol enhances immune and haemopoietic functions in senescence-accelerated mice. Cell Mol Life Sci 1998;54:1168-72. 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

Maritime Pine Also Interacts With Other Medications

Maritime Pine has 326 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Prednisone one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 326 No known interaction 2,504 (incl. Prednisone)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Maritime Pine

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Maritime Pine 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 Maritime Pine 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 Maritime Pine 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 Maritime Pine as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 452 real supplement products containing Maritime Pine, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Maritime Pine. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Prednisone too, on top of Maritime Pine — 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 Maritime Pine 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 Maritime Pine
Top 25%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Prednisone
Top 1%

#22 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 Maritime Pine

What is Maritime Pine?

Maritime Pine
  • Circulation and vein health
  • Antioxidant support
  • Skin health and aging
  • High blood pressure
  • Joint comfort

Maritime pine bark extract (often sold as Pycnogenol) is a plant-based antioxidant most studied for circulation, vein, and skin health. Some research is promising, but many studies are small or industry-funded, so benefits are not firmly proven. It is generally well tolerated, but talk to your pharmacist or doctor before starting it.

Read the full Maritime Pine monograph & all interactions
Medication

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.

See full Prednisone drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Maritime Pine

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

0Major
326Moderate
0Minor
2,503No known interaction
326 Moderate 2,503 No interaction
Moderate

326 interactions

Showing 60 of 326 moderate interactions — see all 326 on the Maritime Pine page.

No interaction 2,503 drugs checked — show the list

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

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 2,503 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Maritime Pine list.

See the full Maritime Pine 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
Maritime Pine 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 Maritime Pine and Prednisone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Maritime Pine 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.
How serious is the Maritime Pine 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 Maritime Pine?

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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.