Executive Summary
Natural liquorice has many healthy properties. However, it has an ingredient called glycyrrhizin, which can cause side effects, such as high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats and fatigue.
Processing liquorice to remove glycyrrhizin gives DGL (deglycyrrhized liquorice), which is lower in potency but much safer for long-term consumption.
Not all natural food is better than its processed counterpart.
Here is a more detailed explanation.
The diet advice — ‘choose natural foods over processed ones’ — is for a reason.
Common foods are altered to increase palatability, improve texture, enhance visual appeal and extend shelf life. Since most food additives are chemicals that are not a part of the human diet, they hamper body functions and cause adverse effects.
Read on this website: How Processed Foods Cause Dangerous Autoimmune Diseases
However, occasionally, a naturally found food is processed to make it safer for consumption.
Liquorice (Yashtimadhu)
Liquorice is a herb used for centuries by the Chinese, Indians, Arabs, Greeks and Egyptians for cough, asthma, skin cuts, lung disorders and liver problems.
Today, tobacco, candies and sweets are flavoured with liquorice. Medicinally, it is used to treat stomach ulcers, acidity (heartburn), indigestion, skin inflammation, eczema, sore throat, bad breath (halitosis), tooth decay and hepatitis C.
Problem with Natural Liquorice
Depending on the species, two to twenty-five per cent of liquorice is a compound called glycyrrhizin, which confers sweetness and some medicinal properties on it.
However, consuming glycyrrhizin increases the stress hormone cortisol, which depletes blood potassium, leading to high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, swelling, fatigue and muscle weakness. People with kidney problems, hypertension and chronic diarrhoea are particularly vulnerable.
Safe Intake of Liquorice
Is there a safe quantity for daily liquorice consumption? There are no detailed studies, but a few trials have tried to establish toxic levels of glycyrrhizin.
They found a wide variation in glycyrrhizin susceptibility among people. The most sensitive individuals show adverse effects with 100 mg of glycyrrhizin a day. Almost everyone is affected by 400 mg a day.
For liquorice with 10% glycyrrhizin, more than 1 g a day should be avoided for an extended period. This duration is undefined in guidelines, but can be considered a month (in my opinion).
It is difficult to assign a precise cut-off for toxicity as more trials are awaited. So, some researchers use a safety factor of 10 and advise a limit of 100 mg natural liquorice a day.
Luckily, liquorice is safe without its glycyrrhizin.
Processed Liquorice
Liquorice is chemically treated to remove glycyrrhizin. This deglycyrrhized liquorice (DGL) is lower in potency than its natural form but has no adverse effects.
According to current guidelines, DGL is considered safe for daily consumption of up to 4.5 grams for four months. Beyond that? There are no studies. Should one discontinue consumption for a while, such as a month and then resume? Once again, no one knows.
When faced with such a dilemma, use your common sense. The guidelines are for four months because a trial conducted with 4.5 g DGL for four months showed no adverse effects. If it had continued longer, perhaps the harm would still be missing.
Summary
Processed liquorice, or DGL, is safer than its natural form.
To Read More
- Examine.com: Licorice
- Textbook of Natural Medicine: Glycyrrhiza glabra (Licorice)
- National Institutes of Health: Licorice Root
- Drugs.com: Licorice
- Healthline: What Are Licorice Root’s Benefits and Downsides?
- WebMD: Licorice – Uses, Side Effects, and More
- Medical News Today: What are the benefits of licorice root?
- European Commission: Opinion of the Scientific Committee on Food on Glycyrrhizinic Acid and Its Ammonium Salt
- World Health Organisation: Glycyrrhizinic Acid
First Published on: 15th June 2025
Image Credit: Nat Aggiato from Pixabay
Last Updated on: 16th June 2025