Drug & supplement interaction

Squill + Dehydrocholic Acid

Dehydrocholic Acid brand name: Decholin.

Moderate Interaction
The bottom line Moderate

Squill has a moderate interaction with Dehydrocholic Acid. Squill contains cardiac glycosides. Concomitant use of squill and stimulant laxatives might increase the risk of cardiac glycoside toxicity due to potassium loss.

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

Squill and Dehydrocholic Acid

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

Moderate

STIMULANT LAXATIVES

Why this applies to Dehydrocholic Acid

Dehydrocholic Acid falls under STIMULANT LAXATIVES — the group Squill interacts with.

Squill contains cardiac glycosides. Concomitant use of squill and stimulant laxatives might increase the risk of cardiac glycoside toxicity due to potassium loss.
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 concern with pairing squill and dehydrocholic acid (Decholin). Squill carries heart-acting compounds called cardiac glycosides, similar to digoxin. Dehydrocholic acid works partly as a stimulant-type agent that increases bile flow and can loosen the stool. When you have repeated loose or watery stools, your body can lose potassium. Low potassium is exactly what makes cardiac glycosides more dangerous, so the worry is a higher chance of squill's heart toxicity, things like an irregular or unusually slow heartbeat, nausea, or feeling faint.

To be fair, this is a theoretical caution based on how these substances behave, not strong human studies. Still, squill itself is risky, so please don't combine these without talking to your pharmacist or doctor first.

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

Squill Also Interacts With Other Medications

Squill has 1 major, 154 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Dehydrocholic Acid one above is one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Squill

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

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Dehydrocholic Acid

This page covers Squill only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Dehydrocholic Acid page lists 46 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Jalap (major), Oleander (major), Alder Buckthorn (moderate) and Aloe (moderate).

By severity: 3 major · 34 moderate · 9 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Dehydrocholic Acid page

“Dehydrocholic acid (Decholin) is itself a stimulant laxative, which is why I want you genuinely careful with this list. Twenty-nine of the 46 flagged supplements are herbal laxatives, and stacking them on this drug compounds fluid and potassium loss.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Dehydrocholic Acid interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Squill as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 2 real supplement products containing Squill, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Squill. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Dehydrocholic Acid too, on top of Squill — 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 Squill and Dehydrocholic Acid 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 Squill
Top half

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

29 days ago today
Medication Dehydrocholic Acid
Top half

#1,389 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 Squill

What is Squill?

Squill
  • Cough and chest congestion
  • Fluid retention (diuretic)
  • Heart conditions (traditional 'cardiac tonic')
  • Hair loss (topical use)
  • Rodenticide (red squill, non-medicinal)

Squill is a bulb plant that contains potent cardiac glycosides, which can affect the heart much like the drug digoxin. While it has a long history of use as a cough remedy and heart tonic, it can be dangerously toxic and there is little solid evidence for its modern use, so we do not recommend taking it without close medical supervision.

Read the full Squill monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Squill

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

1Major
154Moderate
0Minor
2,674No known interaction
Major

1 interaction

Moderate

154 interactions

Showing 60 of 154 moderate interactions — see all 154 on the Squill page.

No interaction 2,674 drugs checked — show the list
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

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Squill and Dehydrocholic Acid Together: Common Questions

Can you take Squill with Dehydrocholic Acid?
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 Squill and Dehydrocholic Acid 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 Dehydrocholic Acid and Squill?

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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.