DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) has most of the glycyrrhizin removed. One form of licorice is substantially safer. Just as with candy, this can pose a risk for susceptible people. Some natural remedies contain licorice root. How long does it take for the effects of licorice to leave the body? I have not taken any for a week, but my pressure is still higher than it should be.”īased on the report of the Swedish gymnastics teacher, blood pressure should return to normal within two weeks. Trying to combat this sudden spike in pressure and the unrelenting headaches, I increased the dose of my blood pressure medicine again, but it did not help. “My regular doctor had just reduced the dose of my BP med because I had lost weight and my reading had been 120/68. Since then it’s been as high as 190/102, which scares me even more. By midday, though, I was hit with a bad headache and when I took my BP it was 180/100.
#Black licorice candy professional
I saw the ‘Licorice Root’ listed on the label and remembered hearing many years ago that licorice could raise blood pressure, but I figured a health care professional would take that into consideration. “A week ago at the direction of a health care professional I took a prescribed antifungal to treat Candida. One reader recently reported her own experience, which did not involve bingeing on candy: “Prompt identification and effective management of licorice-induced hypertension may spare patients from lifelong medical therapy and prevent serious complications.” Licorice as Medicine: Follow-up at ten weeks (no black licorice jelly beans) showed all his lab values were normal. The doctors discontinued the blood pressure medicine. A few days later, blood work showed his potassium was now too high, and his blood pressure was 120/86. On medical advice, he stopped eating the jelly beans and started taking the amiloride and spironolactone potassium-sparing blood pressure pills he had been prescribed. Someone discovered that he’d been eating a bag of black licorice jelly beans every day, even in the hospital. They worked him up to see if his body was making too much aldosterone. The doctors were puzzled since several days of treatment did not correct these problems. The workup showed alarmingly low potassium levels and blood pressure of 174/62. He also reported vomiting, diarrhea and dry mouth. In a recent case report, a 51-year old man went to the emergency department with a stomach ache that had lasted three days ( Foster et al, Postgraduate Medicine, April 2017). Once she stopped, all of her symptoms gradually disappeared. It turned out that she had been gobbling down large quantities of black licorice. Against all of that, her primary complaint of loss of libido must have seemed insignificant. She also had frighteningly high blood pressure, around 240/130. She had been healthy, but then developed horrific headaches every month and lost her periods. We were impressed years ago with the story of a 22-year-old Swedish gym teacher. Hormonal changes can occur and may lead to weakness and in extreme cases temporary paralysis. When candy containing real licorice extract is consumed regularly or in large quantities, there can be profound metabolic consequences.įluid and sodium are retained, blood pressure goes up and potassium may drop to dangerously low levels. There is a dark side to licorice, though. High-quality black licorice, often from Europe, contains the active ingredient glycyrrhizin. Many confectioners use less expensive artificial flavors or anise, but true aficionados demand the real thing. Is Licorice Candy or Medicine?Īlthough modern day herbalists still use licorice for digestive upset, coughs and arthritis, most people think of it as flavoring for candy. Many people today, however, encounter it as the flavoring for black licorice candy. The father of modern medicine, Hippocrates, considered licorice root a valuable healing herb. The plant ( Glycyrrhiza glabra) from which it is derived was found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs and was treasured by healers in the ancient Middle East. Licorice has been around for thousands of years.