Licorice Interactions: What You Need to Know About Risks and Medication Conflicts

When you chew on licorice candy or sip licorice tea, you might think you’re just enjoying a sweet flavor. But licorice, a root extract used in food, supplements, and traditional medicine. Also known as glycyrrhiza glabra, it contains a compound called glycyrrhizin that acts like a hormone in your body—mimicking aldosterone, which controls salt and water balance. This sounds harmless until you realize it can interfere with medications you’re already taking. If you’re on blood pressure drugs, diuretics, or heart medications, licorice isn’t just a snack—it’s a potential health risk.

The real danger comes from how licorice affects your potassium, a mineral critical for nerve and muscle function, including your heartbeat. Glycyrrhizin makes your kidneys flush out potassium and hold onto sodium. Low potassium can cause muscle weakness, irregular heartbeat, and even dangerous heart rhythms. That’s why people on diuretics, medications that help the body get rid of extra fluid like furosemide or amiloride are at higher risk. Mixing licorice with these drugs can push potassium levels too low, faster than you’d expect. Even worse, if you’re taking ACE inhibitors or ARBs for high blood pressure, licorice can cancel out their benefits—and sometimes make your pressure spike instead of drop.

It’s not just about pills. Licorice shows up in herbal remedies, teas, tobacco products, and even some cough syrups. You might not even know you’re consuming it. And the effects don’t show up right away—they build up over days or weeks. One study found that just 100 grams of licorice candy a day for two weeks was enough to cause serious drops in potassium and spikes in blood pressure in healthy adults. Imagine what it does to someone already managing chronic illness.

There’s no universal safe dose. Some people can handle small amounts without issues. Others, especially those over 40 or with heart or kidney conditions, should avoid it entirely. If you’re on any medication that affects your heart, kidneys, or electrolytes, talk to your pharmacist before reaching for that licorice stick. Your body doesn’t care if it’s labeled "natural"—it reacts to the chemistry.

Below, you’ll find real-world examples of how licorice interacts with common drugs, what symptoms to watch for, and how to protect yourself without giving up all your favorite flavors. This isn’t theory—it’s what people actually experience when they don’t know the risks.