Unveiling the Potential Risks of Licorice Root in Tea
As a lifelong singer, I’ve been drinking the same throat comforting tea since I was a little kid hanging out backstage in community youth theatre shows. I guzzled it before my choir performances, before school presentations, before my college vocal showcase, and before church services. I’m talking 2-4 potent, steaming cups a day. It tastes good, it smells good, it feels good. What could go wrong?
Unfortunately, a lot. I simply set out to write a blog about the benefits of throat comforting tea for singers. Then, as I did more and more research, I stumbled across a waving red flag that I’d feel negligent not telling you about, and it’s a near-impossible word to pronounce. Glycyrrhizin. Say that five times fast. Heck, try to say it once! Beneath our beloved tea’s comforting facade lies a big potential concern—high levels of glycyrrhizin, a compound found in licorice root, one of the key ingredients in many throat comforting teas.
Research suggests that prolonged consumption of glycyrrhizin may lead to elevated blood pressure, potassium loss, and, in extreme cases, adverse effects on heart health. For individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as hypertension, it’s extra dangerous.
In Europe, but not in the U.S., a warning label stating "Contains liquorice — people suffering from hypertension should avoid excessive consumption" is required on licorice-containing candies and beverages if they contain excessive concentrations of glycyrrhizin. Among high-glycyrrhizin products, drinking just 2.8 fl oz (whoops) of tea would exceed the recommended limit of 100 mg/day of glycyrrhizin.
Are these things actually affecting real people, though? Yes. To quote a Consumer Labs article, “An 84-year-old man (with hypertension controlled by medication) developed extremely high blood pressure, headache, photophobia, chest pain (due to pulmonary edema) and fatigue, as well as low potassium after two weeks of drinking 1 to 2 glasses daily of homemade licorice root extract called "erk sous" (Falet, CMAJ 2019). A 57-year old man in Turkey with no prior history of cardiovascular disease experienced a rapid, irregular heartbeat likely caused by low potassium levels after consuming four glasses of "licorice root syrup" daily for one month (Erkus, Turk Kardiyol Dern Ars 2016). In extreme cases, this can cause death. For example, a 54-year-old man went into cardiac arrest and died after consuming one to two large packages of licorice-flavored soft candy for three weeks. His doctors determined that the glycyrrhizic acid in the candy likely led to low potassium levels and other metabolic changes that resulted in a rapid, abnormal heart rhythm (Edelman, New Eng J Med 2020).”
You might be thinking, oh, well that was different. It’s not like I’m drinking licorice soup over here. Well, you just might be. Does tea contain enough glycyrrhizin to be problematic? Yes. According to Consumer Labs: Throat Coat contains a very large amount of licorice root (760 mg per tea bag) plus another 60 mg of a 6:1 licorice root extract. Licorice root provides great flavor, but you need to exercise caution and moderation with it because it contains glycyrrhizin. Through an effect on the kidneys, glycyrrhizin in licorice root can cause loss of potassium, fluid retention, increased blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, and lethargy. Throat Coat has a warning on its box regarding these issues, although the warning does not identify the causative agent — licorice root.
Among high-glycyrrhizin products, drinking just 2.8 fl oz (which is the size of a large shot glass) of tea would exceed the recommended limit of 100 mg/day of glycyrrhizin.
Or take this woman’s example: “A 68-year-old Chinese-American woman developed dangerously high blood pressure (219/123 mm Hg) resulting in a stroke (with symptoms including difficulty speaking and paralysis on one side of the body) after taking Chinese herbal supplement pills providing 800 mg of licorice root daily for two weeks to treat indigestion. The supplement contained several other ingredients, such as ginger root and cinnamon bark, but the reporting physicians noted the woman could have been consuming 8 times the maximum dose recommended by the European Commission Scientific Committee on Food of glycyrrhizin.”
You may be thinking, oh… well, I’m young! Not so fast.
Lauren, a reader of the aforementioned Consumer Labs’ article, reported the following in November 2022: “My husband used to love licorice until one night, after consuming some Dutch licorice candy, he began to have chest pain that radiated down his arm. The next day he went to the doctor and found he had high BP (blood pressure), which was new. He was very fit and in his 30s. We couldn’t figure out what was causing the problem until we happened across an article about the effects of licorice. Turns out even a few licorice jelly beans can cause his BP to soar. Today in his 60s he continued to steer clear of licorice and has perfectly normal BP. The side effects of licorice need to be more widely publicized.”
So, what do we do about this? Just avoid licorice root benefits altogether? Well, there’s a ray of hope! There are licorice products that have had a substantial amount of glycyrrhizin removed known as deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL). These are available and may not have the same adverse effects.
(Omar, Ther Adv Endocrinol Metab 2012; NIH 2020).
DGL is likely to be safer than licorice containing glycyrrhizin for most people, but many experts still caution that licorice in any form should probably be avoided by people with a history of high blood pressure or heart or kidney failure, as well as women who are pregnant or nursing.
(LactMed, Licorice 2021; Murray, Textbook of Natural Medicine 2020; Raikkonen, Am J Epidemiol 2017).
Here’s a link to a powder you can put in your tea to provide the licorice root effects without the dangers of glycyrrhizin. I don’t receive any compensation for this, just here to help. :)
Personally, I recommend considering alternative teas with lower glycyrrhizin levels or exploring herbal blends specifically designed for voice care. Look for teas with: DGL (if you can find one), chamomile, turmeric, green tea, peppermint, marshmallow root, lemon, slippery elm, ginger, manuka honey, and cinnamon. There are so many options!
Remember, I’m not a doctor! But these studies and information come from doctors, researchers, and scientists. They have no financial or personal gain in deterring you from drinking throat coat or any other licorice root tea. Understanding the potential risks associated with throat coat tea empowers you to make informed choices about your vocal health, and if this saves your life or improves your health, I’m all about it. Striking a balance between the benefits and risks ensures that the pursuit soothing your voice doesn’t inadvertently compromise your overall well-being.
Tip: Talk to your doctor about taking a potassium supplement to protect and prevent against adverse affects if you are planning to drink a licorice root tea. Knowledge is the first step toward a harmonious blend of vocal care and overall health! Happy vocal health to you!
-Dianne at VoiceBuilders
Sources:
https://www.consumerlab.com/answers/throat-coat-tea-low-potassium-lethargy/throat-coat/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0956713522005151
https://www.allrecipes.com/article/best-tea-for-sore-throat/
