Drug & supplement interaction

Sweet Clover + Docusate

Docusate brand name: Colace.

No Known Interaction
The bottom line No known interaction

We found no known interaction between Sweet Clover and Docusate 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.

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Interaction report

Sweet Clover and Docusate

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 Docusate and Sweet Clover 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.

Sweet Clover safety at a glance

Sweet Clover overall Use caution Generally used in small amounts, but its coumarin content can affect bleeding and the liver, so use cautiously.
Pregnancy Avoid Not enough safety information is available, so it is best avoided during pregnancy.
Breastfeeding Avoid Safety is unknown while breastfeeding, so it is best avoided.

Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

Still wondering about combining Docusate and Sweet Clover? Ask Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS directly ›
How we checked

Why No Interaction Is Listed for Docusate

Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes, not just single drug names. Docusate is filed under a single classification — oral drugs. Sweet Clover has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — the most serious being anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs (moderate) and hepatotoxic drugs (moderate) — and none of Docusate’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.

Keep it in perspective

Sweet Clover Does Interact With Other Medications

Sweet Clover has 480 moderate known drug interactions in our database — Docusate isn’t one of them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Sweet Clover

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

What to actually watch for

What Sweet Clover Itself Has Been Linked To

This is not an interaction — nothing below involves Docusate. It is the side-effect record for Sweet Clover on its own, from the licensed Natural Medicines monograph. If something new turns up after you add Sweet Clover, this list is the first place to look. 2 entries are worth acting on rather than waiting out — marked below.

  • Liver problems Worth acting on Additional detail

    “Orally, large amounts of sweet clover can cause transient liver injury in susceptible individuals (18). A 23-year-old female with multiple sclerosis (MS) developed jaundiced palms and a slight elevation in serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) without hyperbilirubinemia after taking a sweet clover supplement containing coumarin 10 mg daily.”

    Sweet Clover · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in multiple sclerosis (ms).

    2 sources cited
    1. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
    2. 95166. Tamura S, Warabi Y, Matsubara S. Severe liver dysfunction possibly caused by the combination of interferon beta-1b therapy and melilot (sweet clover) supplement. J Clin Pharm Ther 2012;37(6):724-5. PubMed
  • Bleeding or bruising Worth acting on Additional detail

    “A case of bleeding diathesis following ingestion of large amounts of a multi-herb, "seasonal tonic" tea made up of the coumarin-containing herbs sweet clover, sweet woodruff, and tonka bean for two months has been reported. It is unclear if this event is due to sweet clover, other ingredients, or the combination.”

    Sweet Clover · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in bleeding.

    1 source cited
    1. 809. Hogan RP III. Hemorrhagic diathesis caused by drinking an herbal tea. JAMA 1983;249:2679-80. DOI
  • Headache Additional detail

    “Although rare, headache has been reported with oral use of sweet clover (1,2,18). Large amounts can cause stupor (18).”

    Sweet Clover · Natural Medicines adverse-effect record, reported in cluster headache.

    3 sources cited
    1. 1. Monographs on the medicinal uses of plant drugs. Exeter, UK: European Scientific Co-op Phytother, 1997.
    2. 2. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
    3. 18. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.

Everything above comes from the Natural Medicines adverse-effect record for Sweet Clover — expand a row for the licensed statement it rests on. We haven’t matched Docusate to its FDA label in our system yet, so we can’t compare its own side-effect list here — the leaflet that comes with your prescription is the authoritative list for Docusate.

Overlapping uses

What Docusate Is Prescribed For, and What Sweet Clover Has Been Studied For

These two come up together because they touch the same health topic — not because they do the same job. Docusate is a prescription medicine with approved uses on its FDA label. Sweet Clover is a supplement: what follows is what researchers have looked at it for, and how strong that evidence is.

Sweet Clover has been studied for:

  • Hemorrhoids studied, not established Sweet Clover has been studied for this. Natural Medicines rates the evidence: Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Read what the research shows

    Sweet Clover for hemorrhoids

    Although there has been interest in using oral sweet clover for hemorrhoids, there is insufficient reliable information about the clinical effects of sweet clover 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 Docusate on your own; if you are taking Sweet Clover for the same health topic, tell your prescriber, especially if the medicine is being adjusted to a target.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Docusate

This page covers Sweet Clover only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Docusate page lists 17 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Coffee Charcoal (moderate), European Mandrake (moderate), Glucomannan (moderate) and Guar Gum (moderate).

By severity: 1 major · 7 moderate · 9 minor.

Open the Docusate interaction page

One more smart check

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

We hold 26 real supplement products containing Sweet Clover, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Sweet Clover. Even though Sweet Clover itself has no known interaction with Docusate, another ingredient on your label might. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Sweet Clover and Docusate 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 Sweet Clover
Steady interest

#1,376 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Docusate
Top 5%

#34 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.

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 Sweet Clover reference on this page ↓
  • Freshness: we automatically re-check this combination every week — this pair was last verified September 13, 2026. The Sweet Clover and Docusate 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.
Data structure & sourcing designed and verified by .
Supplement

About Sweet Clover

What is Sweet Clover?

Sweet Clover
  • Varicose veins and poor circulation
  • Leg swelling (edema)
  • Hemorrhoids
  • Bruising and minor inflammation
  • Respiratory complaints

Sweet clover is a traditional European herb most often promoted for vein problems and leg swelling, but high-quality human evidence is limited. It contains coumarin, which can become dangerous if the plant spoils, so quality matters and you should talk to a pharmacist before using it.

Melilotus officinalis · Fabaceae · Above-ground parts (flowering tops, leaves, and stems) · Tea, dried herb, capsules, tincture, topical creams and ointments

An interaction check asks whether these two react with each other — it does not ask whether Sweet Clover is a good idea for someone in your situation. Here is what our Sweet Clover record says about it on its own.

Sweet Clover: dosing

There is no well-established standard dose for sweet clover. Traditional use varies widely depending on whether it is taken as a tea, tincture, or capsule, and the coumarin content of different products can differ a lot.The safest approach is to follow the directions on the product label and not exceed them.

From our Sweet Clover monograph — the full record covers uses, side effects and every documented interaction.

Read the full Sweet Clover monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Stool Softeners

What Is Stool Softeners Used For?

Brand name: Colace

  • Stool softeners are used on a short-term basis to relieve constipation by people who should avoid straining during bowel movements because of heart conditions, hemorrhoids, and other problems. They work by softening stools to make them easier to pass.

See full Stool Softeners drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Sweet Clover

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

0Major
480Moderate
0Minor
2,349No known interaction
Moderate

480 interactions

Showing 60 of 480 moderate interactions — see all 480 on the Sweet Clover page.

No interaction 2,349 drugs checked — show the list
Evidence & sources

Sweet Clover References

The 6 references that drive our Sweet Clover 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.

  1. Monographs on the medicinal uses of plant drugs. Exeter, UK: European Scientific Co-op Phytother, 1997.
  2. Blumenthal M, ed. The Complete German Commission E Monographs: Therapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. Trans. S. Klein. Boston, MA: American Botanical Council, 1998.
  3. Wichtl MW. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. Ed. N.M. Bisset. Stuttgart: Medpharm GmbH Scientific Publishers, 1994.
  4. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  5. Hogan RP III. Hemorrhagic diathesis caused by drinking an herbal tea. JAMA 1983;249:2679-80. DOI
  6. Tamura S, Warabi Y, Matsubara S. Severe liver dysfunction possibly caused by the combination of interferon beta-1b therapy and melilot (sweet clover) supplement. J Clin Pharm Ther 2012;37(6):724-5. 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.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Sweet Clover and Docusate Together: Common Questions

Is it safe to take Sweet Clover with Docusate?
We do not list a known interaction between Sweet Clover and Docusate. That does not guarantee the combination is risk-free, so confirm with your pharmacist or doctor — especially if you take other medications or have a health condition.
Are Sweet Clover and Docusate used for the same thing?
They overlap in purpose, which usually means the real question is whether you need both rather than whether they are safe together. This page lists the shared uses and how strong the evidence is for Sweet Clover in each. That is a conversation for your prescriber, especially if Docusate is being adjusted to a target.
How was the Sweet Clover and Docusate combination checked?
Interactions in our licensed database are recorded against drug classes. Docusate is filed under 1 classification, and Sweet Clover has documented interactions with 2 drug classes — none of Docusate's classifications are among them. A medication can belong to classes beyond those recorded in our dataset, so this describes how the check was run rather than guaranteeing safety.
Does Sweet Clover interact with any other medications?
Yes. Sweet Clover has 480 documented drug interactions in our database — Docusate is simply not one of them. If you take anything else, it is worth checking each one; they are all listed on this page.
Does Docusate interact with any supplements?
Yes. Docusate has documented interactions with 17 supplements in our database — Sweet Clover is not one of them. The Docusate interaction page linked on this page lists every one, ranked by severity.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Docusate and Sweet Clover?

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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.