Drug & supplement interaction

Northern Prickly Ash + Esomeprazole

Esomeprazole brand name: Nexium.

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

Northern Prickly Ash has a minor interaction with Esomeprazole. Theoretically, northern prickly ash might decrease the effectiveness of PPIs.

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

Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash interacts with.

Theoretically, northern prickly ash might decrease the effectiveness of PPIs.
There are reports that northern prickly ash increases stomach acid.
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 simple version: esomeprazole (Nexium) works by quieting down the acid pumps in your stomach, which calms heartburn and lets an irritated esophagus heal. There are some old, anecdotal reports that northern prickly ash may actually nudge stomach acid up. If that's true, it could work against what your Nexium is trying to do, so you might notice a little more heartburn or reflux creeping back in.

Keep this in perspective. This is a theoretical, minor concern based on weak, traditional reports, not solid studies. Esomeprazole itself isn't harmed, and nothing dangerous is expected. Still, if you want to try prickly ash, it's worth a quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor, and just keep an eye on whether your reflux symptoms change.

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

Northern Prickly Ash Also Interacts With Other Medications

Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash

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

From our Q&A

Questions About Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash 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

One more smart check

Taking Northern Prickly Ash as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 20 real supplement products containing Northern Prickly Ash, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Northern Prickly Ash. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Esomeprazole too, on top of Northern Prickly Ash — 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 Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash
Steady interest

#1,093 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Esomeprazole
Top 25%

#450 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 Northern Prickly Ash

What is Northern Prickly Ash?

Northern Prickly Ash
  • Toothache and mouth pain
  • Joint pain and rheumatism
  • Digestive upset
  • Poor circulation
  • Cramping

Northern Prickly Ash is a North American shrub whose bark and berries have a long history in folk medicine, especially for toothache, joint pain, and sluggish digestion. Modern scientific evidence for these uses is very limited, coming mostly from traditional reports and laboratory studies. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, and avoid it during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Northern Prickly Ash 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 & Northern Prickly Ash

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Northern Prickly Ash — 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 Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash list.

See the full Northern Prickly Ash 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
Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash and Esomeprazole Together: Common Questions

Can you take Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash 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 Northern Prickly Ash?

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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.