Medication interaction hub

What Supplements Interact with Hydrocortisone?

Hydrocortisone brand names: Cortef, Hydrocortone, Carmol HC cream, Hydrocortisone Iodoquinol Cream, Vytone Cream, and others. Every interaction below applies to the brands too.

205 Interactions 4 Major 164 Moderate 37 Minor
Curated & coded by · Clinical Pharmacist · Updated September 24, 2026

Drug–supplement interaction data sourced from Natural Medicines Pro, the licensed clinical database from TRC Healthcare / Therapeutic Research, with additional analysis by the HelloPharmacist Pharmacist Team. Our sources · Editorial policy

What is this page for?

One answer, for one medication: what supplements and herbal products interact with Hydrocortisone? Every vitamin, herb, and supplement ingredient we’ve checked against it is on this page, ranked by severity, each linking to the full report for that exact pair.

This page covers supplement interactions only — to check Hydrocortisone against your other medications, use the drug–drug interaction checker. Educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice. Our editorial policy

HelloPharmacist Bottom Line

205 supplements and herbal ingredients have interactions with Hydrocortisone on file in the HelloPharmacist interaction database — 4 rated major, 164 moderate, and 37 minor. The most serious involve Grapefruit, Activated Charcoal, Lily-of-the-valley and St. John's Wort.

Our assessment: with 4 major-rated interactions on the list, this one deserves real attention — know the major entries before combining anything with Hydrocortisone.

Major 4 Moderate 164 Minor 37 No known interaction 1,247

Ranked by severity below. Every entry links to the full pharmacist-reviewed report for that exact combination — what can happen, how likely it is, and what to do about it.

This box checks one ingredient at a time (like turmeric or magnesium). Taking a supplement product with a whole label of ingredients? Search the product instead — we check every ingredient on it ↓

Most Viewed Ingredient Interactions

Hydrocortisone: Top Interactions at a Glance

The Hydrocortisone supplement & herbal interactions people checked most in the last 24 hours, colored by severity. Tap any ingredient to open the full report for that pair.

Showing the 12 highest-ranked of 205 interacting ingredients — plus 1,247 more checked with no known interaction. See the complete ranked list.

Start here

The Most-Checked Hydrocortisone Combinations Today

The Hydrocortisone + supplement pages people viewed most in the last 24 hours (resets at midnight). Open any card for the full report.

Moderate Likelihood Possible Ashwagandha + Hydrocortisonei

Theoretically, taking ashwagandha might decrease the effects of immunosuppressants.

Read the full interaction Moderate Likelihood Possible Fo-ti + Hydrocortisonei

Theoretically, fo-ti might increase the levels and clinical effects of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Read the full interaction Moderate Likelihood Possible Dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) + Hydrocortisonei

Topical DMSO might increase the effects and adverse effects of topical drugs.

Read the full interaction Moderate Likelihood Possible Ginkgo + Hydrocortisonei

Theoretically, ginkgo might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Read the full interaction Major Likelihood Probable St. John's Wort + Hydrocortisonei

St.

Read the full interaction Moderate Likelihood Possible Kratom + Hydrocortisonei

Kratom might increase the levels and clinical effects of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Read the full interaction
The complete list

Every Supplement Checked Against Hydrocortisone

All 1,452 ingredients in our database, ranked by severity — 205 with a Hydrocortisone interaction on file and 1,247 with none found. Filter by severity or search any ingredient; hover the for what each ingredient is.

Looking for an interaction with a specific supplement product? Search products instead ↓

Straight answers

Can You Take It With Hydrocortisone?

One-line answers, one card per combination — scroll through today’s 20 and tap any card for the full report. A different set rotates in daily until every combination has had its turn.

Can you take Ashwagandha with Hydrocortisone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, taking ashwagandha might decrease the effects of immunosuppressants.

Full Ashwagandha + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Fo-ti with Hydrocortisone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, fo-ti might increase the levels and clinical effects of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Full Fo-ti + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) with Hydrocortisone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Topical DMSO might increase the effects and adverse effects of topical drugs.

Full Dimethylsulfoxide (dmso) + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Ginkgo with Hydrocortisone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Theoretically, ginkgo might decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Full Ginkgo + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take St. John's Wort with Hydrocortisone?

Major Use real caution — this is a major-rated interaction, generally best avoided or used only under close supervision. St.

Full St. John's Wort + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Yohimbe with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. Theoretically, yohimbe might decrease the levels and clinical effects of CYP3A4 substrates.

Full Yohimbe + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Gymnema with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. Theoretically, gymnema might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Full Gymnema + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Humann Superbeets Heart Chews with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. Each serving of HumanN SuperBeets includes 150mg of grape seed extract (2 chews).

Full Humann Superbeets Heart Chews + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Jequirity with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. In vitro research shows that jequirity extract inhibits CYP3A4 enzymes.

Full Jequirity + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Milk Thistle with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. It is unclear if milk thistle inhibits CYP3A4; research is conflicting.

Full Milk Thistle + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Mommy's Bliss Gripe Water with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. Mommy's Bliss Gripe Water contains fennel seed.

Full Mommy's Bliss Gripe Water + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Polypodium Leucotomos with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. Theoretically, Polypodium leucotomos might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Full Polypodium Leucotomos + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Pomegranate with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. Theoretically, pomegranate might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4, but most research suggests this interaction is unlikely to...

Full Pomegranate + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Red Clover with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. Theoretically, red clover might increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4; however, a small clinical study found no effect.

Full Red Clover + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Tangerine with Hydrocortisone?

Minor Usually — this is a minor-rated interaction, generally not clinically significant but worth mentioning to your pharmacist. In vitro, tangeretin, a constituent of tangerine, induces a 52% increase in the metabolism of midazolam by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4).

Full Tangerine + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Grapefruit with Hydrocortisone?

Major Use real caution — this is a major-rated interaction, generally best avoided or used only under close supervision. Grapefruit juice can increase levels of drugs metabolized by CYP3A4.

Full Grapefruit + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Activated Charcoal with Hydrocortisone?

Major Use real caution — this is a major-rated interaction, generally best avoided or used only under close supervision. Activated charcoal reduces systemic exposure to many drugs, including those that undergo enterohepatic recirculation, regardless of the rout...

Full Activated Charcoal + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Lily-of-the-valley with Hydrocortisone?

Major Use real caution — this is a major-rated interaction, generally best avoided or used only under close supervision. Theoretically, using lily-of-the-valley with prolonged corticosteroid therapy can cause cardiac glycoside toxicity.

Full Lily-of-the-valley + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Cannabidiol (cbd) with Hydrocortisone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Cannabidiol may increase levels of drugs that are metabolized by CYP3A4.

Full Cannabidiol (cbd) + Hydrocortisone answer

Can you take Coffee Charcoal with Hydrocortisone?

Moderate Possibly, but carefully — this moderate-rated combination may need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separated timing. Coffee charcoal can reduce the absorption of orally administered drugs and should be separated from oral drug administration by at least two...

Full Coffee Charcoal + Hydrocortisone answer
Read the list like a pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

  • Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
  • Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
  • Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
  • No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

  • Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
  • Probable. Interaction 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.
  • Possible. 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
  • Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

  • Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
  • Each entry links to a full report with the clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations for that exact combination.
  • Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

How Does Our Interaction Checker Work?

Behind every verdict on this page is a category system. Our source database doesn’t document supplement interactions drug-by-drug — it documents them against groups of medications that behave the same way (for example, “drugs processed by the CYP3A4 liver enzyme” or “blood-thinning medications”).

So the check works in three steps: (1) Hydrocortisone is classified into the pharmacology categories it belongs to, (2) every supplement interaction documented against any of those categories is inherited by Hydrocortisone, and (3) each ingredient keeps its own severity, likelihood, and evidence grades from the underlying record. That’s why one supplement can carry several records for one drug — it may interact through more than one category.

Hydrocortisone sits in 6 interaction categories. Open any one to see what the group means:

Cytochrome P450 3A4 (Cyp3A4) Substrates 121 ingredients

A drug-metabolism group: these medications are processed by the named liver enzyme (a cytochrome P450). Supplements that speed this enzyme up or slow it down can lower or raise the medication's levels in your body.

121 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Hydrocortisone through this category.

Immunosuppressants 53 ingredients

Medications that damp down the immune system. Supplements that stimulate immunity can work against them.

53 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Hydrocortisone through this category.

P-Glycoprotein Substrates 37 ingredients

A drug-transport group: these medications are moved in and out of cells by the P-glycoprotein pump. Supplements that affect the pump can change how much of the drug is absorbed or kept in the body.

37 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Hydrocortisone through this category.

Corticosteroids 18 ingredients

A pharmacology grouping from our source database: medications in this group share a property that certain supplements are known to interact with, so an interaction documented for the group applies to every drug in it.

18 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Hydrocortisone through this category.

Oral Drugs 17 ingredients

A pharmacology grouping from our source database: medications in this group share a property that certain supplements are known to interact with, so an interaction documented for the group applies to every drug in it.

17 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Hydrocortisone through this category.

Topical Drugs 3 ingredients

A pharmacology grouping from our source database: medications in this group share a property that certain supplements are known to interact with, so an interaction documented for the group applies to every drug in it.

3 of the supplement ingredients on this page reach Hydrocortisone through this category.

About Hydrocortisone

Hydrocortisone is a corticosteroid used to treat low steroid levels and conditions like arthritis, allergies, lupus, and inflammation affecting various body organs.

Generic name: Hydrocortisone  ·  Brand names: Cortef, Hydrocortone, Carmol HC cream, Hydrocortisone Iodoquinol Cream, Vytone Cream, Massengil Medicated Towelettes, Dioderm, Efcortelan Cream, Mildison, Alphaderm, Calmurid HC, Efcortelan Ointment, Texacort, Alkindi Sprinkle.

See the full Hydrocortisone drug information

Related: does Hydrocortisone deplete any nutrients?

Hydrocortisone has 24 reported nutrient associations in the research literature — see the Hydrocortisone nutrient depletion report.

Check a real product

Take a Supplement Product? Check the Whole Bottle Against Hydrocortisone

Most supplements are combination products — and the interaction may come from an ingredient you didn’t buy it for. Search any product below (or scan its label) and we’ll check every ingredient on it against Hydrocortisone.

Search a supplement product

Type a product name, brand, or UPC — smart search across our full catalog.

Grounded search over our product catalog — every verdict comes from our interaction database, never AI guesswork. How we use AI

Or scan the bottle

Photograph any Supplement Facts panel — we read the ingredients and check each one against your medications. Free, in seconds.

Open the label scanner

Prefer typing? The interaction checker looks up products by name too.

Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Hydrocortisone & Supplements: Common Questions

What supplements interact with Hydrocortisone?
In our interaction database, 205 supplement and herbal ingredients have an interaction with Hydrocortisone on file — 4 rated major, 164 moderate, and 37 minor. That number sounds scarier than it is: severity matters far more than the count, which is why the list on this page is ranked instead of alphabetical. Start at the top. The highest-ranked right now: Grapefruit, Activated Charcoal, Lily-of-the-valley.
Which Hydrocortisone supplement interactions are the most serious?
Focus on the major group: Grapefruit, Activated Charcoal, Lily-of-the-valley and St. John's Wort. A major rating means the combination can be clinically significant, not that harm is guaranteed — but it's exactly the kind of thing to run past your pharmacist before your next dose, not after. Jump to the ranked list.
Can I take vitamins or supplements while on Hydrocortisone?
That depends entirely on which supplement. The honest answer for Hydrocortisone is in the ranked list above — and if what you take is a combination product with a dozen ingredients, don't check them one by one: photograph the label with our scanner and we'll check the whole thing at once. Try the label scanner or the interaction checker.
Do brands like Cortef have the same supplement interactions as Hydrocortisone?
Yes — Cortef, Hydrocortone, Carmol HC cream, Hydrocortisone Iodoquinol Cream, Vytone Cream and other brands all contain Hydrocortisone, so everything on this page applies to them equally. Interactions belong to the active drug, never to the brand on the box; the same is true of generics.
Where do these interaction ratings come from?
Every rating comes from the Natural Medicines database — the same evidence-graded reference pharmacists and hospitals use — and each interaction carries three separate grades: severity (how bad it can be), likelihood (how well it's documented in studies and case reports), and an evidence level. Our pharmacists review the content; we never let an AI decide an interaction. See how to read the ratings and our editorial policy.
Does Hydrocortisone deplete any vitamins or nutrients?
It might — Hydrocortisone has 24 reported nutrient-depletion associations in the research literature, which is a different question from interactions: instead of a supplement changing the drug, the drug may lower a nutrient over time. See the Hydrocortisone nutrient depletion report for the specifics and what to discuss with your pharmacist.
What about Hydrocortisone and my other medications?
This page covers Hydrocortisone against supplements and herbal ingredients. Checking Hydrocortisone against your other prescription or OTC medications is a different tool — our drug interaction checker covers that side. Head to the drug–drug interaction checker, or read the full Hydrocortisone drug information.

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

Where next

More Free Pharmacist Tools

Supplement interaction checker Check any supplement or product against your medications Supplement label scanner Photograph a Supplement Facts panel; we check every ingredient Browse medications A–Z Every drug we’ve checked against herbs & supplements Ingredient directory Every vitamin, herb & mineral we track, with interaction data Product directory Look up any bottle by name, brand, or barcode Ask a pharmacist Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Sourcing

Where This Data Comes From — and Why You Can Trust It

🧪 Licensed clinical database

Every interaction verdict on this page comes from Natural Medicines Pro (TRC Healthcare / Therapeutic Research) — the same evidence-graded reference used by pharmacists and hospitals. We license this data directly; we do not scrape it, and no AI invents an interaction.

🧑‍⚕️ Pharmacist review

This page is curated and coded by , Clinical Pharmacist, with additional analysis by the HelloPharmacist Pharmacist Team. Editorial commentary is ours; the licensed interaction records are shown as sourced.

🔄 Kept current

Our interaction database refreshes on a weekly cycle, and this page re-checks the live database every time it’s rebuilt — what you see reflects the database as of September 24, 2026.

🔍 Full transparency

How every dataset on this site is sourced, licensed, and updated is documented publicly: our data sources · editorial policy · how we use AI.

Educational information, not medical advice. An interaction being on file does not mean it will happen to you — and absence of one is not proof of safety. Never start or stop a medication or supplement without talking to your pharmacist or doctor.