Alder Buckthorn

Are there any interactions with medications?

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Digoxin (Lanoxin)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Alder buckthorn is a type of laxative called a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives can decrease potassium levels in the body. Low potassium levels can increase the risk of side effects of digoxin (Lanoxin).

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Medications for inflammation (Corticosteroids)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Some medications for inflammation can decrease potassium in the body. Alder buckthorn is a type of laxative that might also decrease potassium in the body. Taking alder buckthorn along with some medications for inflammation might decrease potassium in the body too much.

Some medications for inflammation include dexamethasone (Decadron), hydrocortisone (Cortef), methylprednisolone (Medrol), prednisone (Deltasone), and others.

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Medications taken by mouth (Oral drugs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Alder buckthorn is a laxative. Laxatives can decrease how much medicine your body absorbs. Decreasing how much medicine your body absorbs can decrease the effectiveness of your medication.

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Stimulant laxatives
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Alder buckthorn is a type of laxative called a stimulant laxative. Stimulant laxatives speed up the bowels. Taking alder buckthorn along with other stimulant laxatives could speed up the bowels too much and cause dehydration and low minerals in the body.

Some stimulant laxatives include bisacodyl (Correctol, Dulcolax), cascara, castor oil (Purge), senna (Senokot) and others.

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Warfarin (Coumadin)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Alder buckthorn can work as a laxative. In some people alder buckthorn can cause diarrhea. Diarrhea can increase the effects of warfarin and increase the risk of bleeding. If you take warfarin do not to take excessive amounts of alder buckthorn.

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Water pills (Diuretic drugs)
Interaction Rating: Moderate Be cautious with this combination.
Talk with your health provider.

Alder buckthorn is a laxative. Some laxatives can decrease potassium in the body. "Water pills" can also decrease potassium in the body. Taking alder buckthorn along with "water pills" might decrease potassium in the body too much.

Some "water pills" that can decrease potassium include chlorothiazide (Diuril), chlorthalidone (Thalitone), furosemide (Lasix), hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ, HydroDiuril, Microzide), and others.

Dosing considerations for Alder Buckthorn.

The following doses have been studied in scientific research:

BY MOUTH:

• For constipation: the typical dose of alder buckthorn is 0.5-2.5 grams of the dried bark. Take only the amount of bark needed to produce a soft stool. Alder buckthorn is also taken as a tea. The tea is prepared by steeping 2 grams of the herb in 150 mL of boiling water for 5-10 minutes and then straining. Alder buckthorn is also available as a liquid extract. The common dose of the liquid extract: (1:1 in 25% alcohol) is 2-5 mL three times daily. This preparation should be used only if diet change and bulk-forming laxatives don't work. Don't use the extract for more than seven to ten days.