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For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified medical professional before taking any supplement, herb, vitamin, mineral, or bioactive, especially if you use medications or have a medical condition. Read the full disclaimer.
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Traditional useReviewedHigh caution

Herbs & Botanicals

Licorice Root

Plants used as foods, spices, teas, or traditional supplements. Botanical effects vary by plant part, extract, dose, and medication context.

Page last reviewed: 2026-07-23 - next review due: 2027-01-23

TCMAyurvedaWestern herbalism

High-Caution Safety Flags

Use extra caution before concentrated supplement use, especially with medications, pregnancy, liver/kidney disease, heart conditions, or complex medical history.

blood pressure, low potassium, heart disease, kidney disease, pregnancy/breastfeeding, corticosteroids

Source Coverage

Included: US reference
Review gap: Canadian reference
Add or verify Health Canada context where an official Canadian reference exists.
Review gap: EU reference
Add or verify EFSA or EU health-claim context where an official EU reference exists.
Included: Clinical / safety source

Function

Sweet root used as food flavoring and traditional digestive/respiratory botanical.

Natural Sources

Glycyrrhiza glabra root, Glycyrrhiza uralensis root.

Food vs Supplement Context

Natural sources describe where this item appears in foods, culinary ingredients, or traditional preparations. Concentrated supplements can differ by dose, extract type, preparation, standardization, and medication context, so they should be evaluated separately.

Testing & Monitoring Context

  • No routine lab test establishes a required daily need for most foods and bioactives; monitoring is usually based on the intended outcome, dose, medical history, and adverse effects.
  • Blood-pressure context: monitor blood pressure and medication effects when concentrated products are used.
  • Kidney context: kidney function markers and electrolyte status may matter before concentrated use.

Suggested Guidelines When Purchasing

What to look for: For botanicals, plant part, extract ratio, standardization marker, preparation type, and medication cautions matter more than the herb name alone.

Use caution or avoid: Avoid casual use when these flags apply: blood pressure, low potassium, heart disease, kidney disease, pregnancy/breastfeeding, corticosteroids.

  • Prefer ordinary food sources first when they provide the intended compound in a practical way.
  • For supplements, require clear labeling of active ingredient, dose per serving, serving size, and other ingredients.
  • Prefer products with third-party testing or transparent contaminant testing, especially for concentrated extracts, algae, mushrooms, minerals, and sports products.
  • Do not let marketing claims override the evidence, safety flags, source coverage, or dose context on this page.

Intake Guidance

No official DRI

No official RDA, AI, or RDI has been established for this bioactive as a required daily intake.

Evidence Summary

Safety and interaction context

Traditional use

Licorice root has traditional uses, but glycyrrhizin-containing products can cause serious adverse effects including blood pressure, potassium, and heart rhythm concerns.

Caution: Avoid casual concentrated use in hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, high salt intake, pregnancy, corticosteroid use, and medication-heavy contexts.

Studies/sources: Licorice Root (2026-07-23), Mixing Medications and Dietary Supplements Can Endanger Your Health (2026-07-23)

Evidence Legend

Established use: Supported by official guidance, regulatory claim context, strong consensus, or repeated human evidence for a specific use.
Promising: Human studies or reviews suggest benefit for specific outcomes, but evidence is not broad enough to treat as settled general guidance.
Emerging: Early human, mechanistic, or mixed evidence; worth tracking, but not strong enough for confident user-facing claims.
Traditional use: Historically or traditionally used, but modern clinical evidence may be limited, mixed, or product-specific.
Category example: Included to describe a supplement or food category, not because a strong health claim is attached yet.
Note: Glycyrrhizin-containing licorice can raise blood pressure, lower potassium, and interact with corticosteroids and heart, kidney, or blood-pressure conditions.

Sources

Licorice Root

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health - acquired 2026-07-23 - Traditional / Safety Reference

Herbs at a Glance

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health - acquired 2026-07-23 - Traditional / Safety Reference