Safety
Licorice, And The One Real Ceiling
Why a sweet root gets the longest caution on this site, and why doubling a dose is the wrong instinct.
Published 2026-08-26 · 8 minute read · The Sugar Reset Library
Licorice is a sweet root used in food for centuries, and it carries the clearest, best-documented ceiling of anything on this label. Both of those are true, and the second is why it gets the longest caution on this site.
The Compound
Glycyrrhizin is what makes licorice taste sweet — considerably sweeter than sugar by weight. It is also the compound responsible for the effect that matters here.
The Mechanism, Briefly
Your kidneys carry a receptor that responds to aldosterone, the hormone governing sodium and potassium balance. An enzyme normally sits guard over that receptor, deactivating cortisol before it can bind there.
Glycyrrhizin inhibits that enzyme. Cortisol then reaches the receptor and acts on it, producing sodium and water retention, potassium loss and rising blood pressure. It is a clean, well-described mechanism, not a vague worry.
Dose And Time
Two things make this manageable rather than alarming. It is dose dependent, and it accumulates over weeks rather than acting in hours.
Reported cases generally involve sustained daily intakes of licorice confectionery or strong licorice tea over weeks or months. A fraction of a small blend taken once a day is a long way from that.
The reason this page exists anyway is simple: people double doses when they are impatient. Doubling a dose-dependent effect is precisely the wrong instinct, and licorice is the ingredient that turns "never take two ""droppers" from boilerplate into an actual instruction.
Who Should Speak To Somebody First
- Anyone treated for high blood pressure
- Anyone taking a diuretic, especially a potassium-losing one
- Anyone with heart disease or kidney disease
- Anyone told their potassium runs low
- Anyone taking digoxin, where low potassium matters a great deal
- Anyone pregnant, where licorice intake is generally advised against
What To Watch For
Unusual muscle weakness, swelling in the ankles, persistent headache and a noticeable rise in home blood pressure readings. Any of those is a reason to stop and speak to somebody rather than wait and see.
In most reported cases the effects resolve once licorice is stopped, which is reassuring and is not an argument for ignoring them.
Why It Is In The Formula At All
Licorice flavonoids have been studied for effects on glucose handling and inflammation, mostly in preclinical work. It is also used widely in herbal formulation as a sweetener and a harmoniser, which is a traditional rationale rather than a pharmacological one.
Both explanations are consistent with what is printed. Neither changes the caution, which stands regardless of why the ingredient is there.
Three Short Answers
Is the licorice in this product dangerous?
At one dropper a day, at a small share of a 200 mg blend, it is unlikely to matter for a healthy adult. The caution exists because the effect is dose dependent.
What if I have high blood pressure?
Speak to your doctor before starting. This is the single clearest conversation to have about this product.
Does deglycyrrhizinated licorice avoid it?
Yes, which is why DGL exists. The label on this product does not specify a DGL form.