Does anyone here know much about licorice poisoning? (glycyrrhizin)

[OnionPatch]

Hi All,

I was diagnosed with acid reflux about a month ago and had read that licorice was really good for that. So for about three weeks, up until about four days ago, I was guzzling licorice tea, probably about 3 giant cups of it a day.

About a week ago I started feeling weak and my heart was pounding. My blood pressure was 140/98, which is very high for me. My BP is usually something like 90/65. Nurses will ask me, jokingly, if I'm alive. I also started feeling a tingling, numbness or burning sensation in my arms, especially when I lay down. Whichever arm I was laying on would tingle or my back if laying on my back. One night it was so bad I had to try to sleep sitting up! My legs felt a bit tingly too, although not nearly as bad.

I was at the doc's last week, before I read about what glycyrrhizin (an active ingredient in licorice) can do. When I told her about the tingling, she said she didn't think it was a symptom of anything she knew about, such as any neurological problem. She told me it was probably stress/anxiety, as was the higher blood pressure, and tried to put me on Zoloft. (I am not going to take it.)

Since then I've read about how licorice can make your blood pressure rise and also cause the symptoms I described, including the numbness in the limbs (they say that can happen on even moderate amounts of glycyrrhizin.) Of course I stopped drinking the tea immediately. My blood pressure is down in the 120s now and I've been eating foods high in potassium. The tingly stuff is not quite as bad as a few days ago. I can lay down and sleep for awhile now. I'm wondering, though, how long does it take to get this stuff out of your system?

I tried calling the nurse's hotline at my doc's office this morning (they're closed today for Memorial Day) but there was no answer so I'm going to go in to the doc's tomorrow morning. To be honest, I doubt my doc has even heard of this. Her usual inclination is to put all my symptoms down to anxiety/stress. But maybe she'll surprise me and know something about this. (I think I need to find a better doc, but that's a whole other thread.)

Does anyone here have any knowledge about or experience with this syndrome? Does anyone know how long it lasts and/or what is usually done to treat this? I can find lots of info on this on the net but nothing about how it's treated or how long it lasts. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

[PumpkinAle]

1. Take a look at this article.............

<snip>
Licorice with glycyrrhizin may cause serious side effects. Too much glycyrrhizin causes a condition called pseudoaldosteronism, which can cause a person to become overly sensitive to a hormone in the adrenal cortex. This condition can lead to headaches, fatigue, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks. It may also cause water retention, which can lead to leg swelling and other problems.

Although the most dangerous effects mostly happen with high doses of licorice or glycyrrhizin, smaller amounts of licorice may cause side effects. Some people have muscle pain or numbness in the arms and legs. To be safe, ask your health care provider to monitor your use of licorice.

People with the following conditions should not take licorice:

Heart failure
Heart disease
Hormone-sensitive cancers, such as breast, ovarian, uterine, or prostate cancer
Fluid retention
High blood pressure (hypertension)
Diabetes
Kidney disease
Liver disease
Low potassium (hypokalemia)
Erecetile dysfunction
Pregnant or breastfeeding women should not take licorice.

Don't use any licorice product for longer than 4 - 6 weeks.

Possible Interactions

Licorice may interfere with several medications, including the ones listed below. If you are taking any medication, ask your doctor before taking licorice.

ACE inhibitors and diuretics -- If you are taking angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or diuretics for high blood pressure, you should not use licorice products. Licorice could cause these medications to not work as well or could make side effects worse, including a build-up of potassium in the body. ACE inhibitors include:
Captopril (Capoten)
Benazepril (Lotensin)
Enalapril (Vasotec)
Lisinopril (Prinivil, Zestril)
Gosinopril (Monopril)
Ramipril (Altace)
Perindopril (Aceon)
Quinapril (Accupril)
Moexipril (Univasc)
Trandolapril (Mavik)
Digoxin -- Because licorice may dangerously increase the risk of toxic effects from digoxin, do not take this herb with this medication.
Corticosteroids -- Licorice may increase the effects of corticosteroid medications. Talk to your doctor before using licorice with any corticosteroids.
Insulin or drugs for diabetes -- Licorice may have an effect on blood sugar levels.
Laxatives -- Licorice may cause potassium loss in people taking stimulant laxatives.
MAO inhibitors -- Licorice may make the effects of this class of antidepressant stronger.
Oral contraceptives -- There have been reports of women developing high blood pressure and low potassium levels when they took licorice while on oral contraceptives.
Warfarin (Coumadin) -- Licorice may decrease the levels of this blood-thinner in the body, meaning it may not work as well.
Medications processed by the liver -- Licorice may interfere with several medications processed by the liver, including celecoxib (Celebrex), diclofenac (Voltaren), fluvastatin (Lescol), glipizide (Glucotrol), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin)


https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/licorice

Hope you feel better soon.

[OnionPatch]

4. Wow, that's scary!

Thanks for the link, I don't think I saw that one.

Why in the world wouldn't they put strong warnings on licorice products?!! I bought my tea at a health food store and it was pure licorice root. The only warning on the box was to ask your doctor about using it if you're pregnant.

I'm not on any of those drugs listed. I take metoclopramine and ranitidine for the reflux.

Thanks for the good wishes.

[Warpy]

11. Most people don't overdo that much, the icky sweetness is a turnoff after the first cup

We used to do a licorice/spice tea over the holidays. We also used to warn people about overindulging, that licorice can raise the blood pressure considerably. Then again, we were all geeky types who read widely and in depth.

You should recover within a few weeks. Do keep checking your blood pressure and if the diastolic (bottom number) keeps going up, see a doc for some temporary medication. You can correct the weakness by increasing your intake of potassium rich foods like bananas, oranges, dark greens, potato skins, dark chocolate (what a burden!), and button mushrooms. Just don't go overboard on that, either. The safest thing there is to see a doc and find out what your blood level is and correct it with medication.

Herb and "natural healing" books are dangerous things sometimes. I remember one infant care book back in the mid 70s that had people overdosing their babies on potassium to cure colic. That one was off the shelves in record time, thank goodness. The best bet if you're going to try to use plants this way is to research them before you use them. Often the effective level and the toxic level are very close. In other cases, they're inert and you need to see a doctor if you're having troublesome symptoms.

The reason we don't have FDA approved medications for GERD that use licorice is because of its potentially dangerous side effects. Yes, it will help the GERD, but at the cost of a skull popping blood pressure spike and hypokalemia (low potassium) that can be fatal if it dips too low.

[OnionPatch]

13. I'm on such a restricted diet for the GERD. The tea was one of the only kind I could drink.

The other was chamomile, which puts me to sleep and makes me have to pee a lot. So I was drinking the licorice tea partly for the GERD but partly just because it was one of the only hot drinks I can have. I am a coffee/tea lover, so it's been really hard. Thankfully, I recently found some fake coffee called Teechino that's low in acid, so it's better than nothing in the morning.

My diet also restricts oranges/orange juice and chocolate Guess I'll stick with the greens, potatoes and bananas.

I see that they have DLG, or licorice lozenges with the glycyrrhizin removed. Maybe I'll try it. I'm a little afraid there might be trace amounts of that evil stuff in it, though.

[Warpy]

20. Try cutting out wheat, rye, and other high gluten food for a week

and see if it makes any difference. Yes, it's a fad right now and 90% of the people who say they're gluten intolerant really aren't. However, the anecdata are piling up that people with severe GERD are getting enough relief that the once a day pills are working again.

I suggest this only because it will do you no harm at all to try for a week.

[OnionPatch]

21. I'm willing to try anything.

My diet is so restricted now that I may as well cut out one more thing. I practically live on rice, broiled, skinless chicken breast and avocados. Chicken sandwiches are no fun without mayo or mustard, anyway.

[Warpy]

22. Funny, I can eat hot chile peppers all day

but put a drop of canola oil on them and I'm in agony.

I guess we've all got triggers. Canola oil is one of the worst for me.

[OnionPatch]

23. I wish I could figure out my triggers. I don't really know.

I'm just doing the diet that was recommended to me by the doctor but I haven't had much relief yet. It's been nearly constant for more than a month. I had an upper GI and have been on the meds for a week. Keep hoping they'll kick in soon but maybe they'll need to be tweaked.

I would love to have some Mexican food again, it's my favorite. I also miss tomatoes, onions, chocolate and cheese...oh how I miss cheese!

[Scootaloo]

26. Because it's not a worry for most people unless you guzzle the stuff

Yeah, some people can react badly to small amounts... but there are people whose bodies go into freakout over eggplant, too, aubergines don't tend to be locked behind plexiglass at the produce aisle.

From the sound of it, you overdid it. Three giant cups of licorice tea a day would definitely be overdoing it.

I'd suggest looking into licorice candies - actual licorice, not the nasty anise-flavored stuff. Most of the real licorice I've come across is imported from the Netherlands or Denmark - my local store carries allsorts from the UK too, but they have frosting and coconut and all that gross stuff. I'm eating from a bod of the dutch "Oldtimers" brand right now. Fucking delicious.

If you don't mind the anise flavor, red vines' black licorice is one of the few American brands that actually has licorice as an ingredient (along with the anise).

[OnionPatch]

30. Amazing.

They really should put a warning on licorice.

[hlthe2b]

2. Yes, indeed high doses can cause hypertension. Medscape is a reliable source below

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/817578-overview#showall

Discontinue it and you will likely be fine. But, physicians often don't know about nor ask about herbal and other supplements, as most are not discussed in med school. Might be good to give her some polite, non-confrontational feedback as a fyi.

[OnionPatch]

5. The article at your link says it may take weeks

to get the blood pressure back to normal! Geez!

Thankfully, it says the muscle weakness/issues can be resolved within days of potassium replacement. I've been eating potatoes, avocados, bananas, etc. for a couple of days now. Potassium supplements are worthless, as they only contain a tiny fraction of the daily requirement and you can't take more than one per day.

Anyone know of better ways to get my potassium up, or will eating these foods do the trick?

[hlthe2b]

7. UNLESS your physician specifically prescribes, rely only on food sources of potassium!

Hyperkalemia (too much potassium) is deadly as well. Food sources are safe. It shouldn't take that long to feel back to normal.

[OnionPatch]

9. Thanks, you're right.

I was just wondering if anyone knew any foods that were higher than the potatoes, avocados and bananas that I've been eating. It seems like those are the potassium power-houses, though.

[fredamae]

3. Going on memory

I'm pretty sure those with blood pressure should avoid Licorice. Herbs are Phytomedicine and like All medicine-should be used with great caution and always research any herbal medicine before you use it as many don't interact with other pharma drugs.
Always check with your naturopath/doctor and/or pharmacist.
http://www.herbscom.com/health/licorice_root.htm

[OnionPatch]

6. I definitely should have done more research.

I usually do. I had read about it helping GERD but didn't see any warnings about glycyrrhizin. I should have checked more places. Thanks for the link, I'll keep it handy.

[fredamae]

14. :) and good luck! n/t

[Schema Thing]

8. wouldn't hurt to try eating/drinking beets

lol, of course, that's probably what you thought about licorice But seriously, this stuff is good for you even aside from the blood pressure effect.


Dec. 14, 2012 -- Drinking a glass of beet juice may have an immediate impact on lowering blood pressure, according to a new study.

The study shows that within hours of drinking it, beet juice lowered systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) by an average of 4-5 points among a small group of healthy men.

Researchers say that drop may seem small, but on a public health level a reduction like that would equate to a 10% reduction in deaths due to heart disease.

“It’s promising that we can see an effect from a single dose,” says researcher Leah Coles, PhD, a research fellow at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia. “That effect might be even greater over the long term if they are drinking it day upon day.”

[OnionPatch]

10. You wouldn't think one glass of beet juice would harm anyone.

I actually really like beets, if they are fresh, not canned. I wonder what beet juice tastes like, though, I've never had the juice. I've never even seen it in the store. Would eating a beet would have the same effect.

[Schema Thing]

12. yes and no.

Obviously, if you get enough of whatever the good stuff is that lowers blood pressure, it doesn't matter if you eat it or drink it. But as a practical matter, it's much easier to get a lot of that good stuff if it is juiced, because you might tend to get sick of eating *that* much whole beets.

Beet juice is sweet and is a good addition to smoothies or juices that have lots of veggies that might not taste so great if they don't have something sweet with them.

[LaurenG]

15. Food Sources of Potassium

10 Common Foods with More Potassium than Bananas


by Deanna Reiter, MA

A banana a day keeps the muscle cramps away. Or so you may think.

Bananas are high in potassium. They contain approximately 460 milligrams of potassium for a medium-sized banana. Potassium aids in nerve and muscle function and balancing electrolytes and pH level. Water and calcium also help in these processes.

Although bananas have gotten the most attention as a good source of potassium, it turns out that so are most fruits and vegetables, as well as many other foods. Here are ten common foods with more potassium than bananas:

1. Potato (1,081 mg)

2. Winter squash (896 mg)

3. Spinach (839 mg)

4. Baked beans (752 mg)

5. Raisins (544 mg)

6. Avocados (540 mg)

7. Yogurt, low-fat (531 mg)

8. Orange juice (496 mg)

9. Cantaloupe (494 mg)

10. Tuna (484 mg)

https://shine.yahoo.com/work-money/10-common-foods-with-more-potassium-than-bananas-554715.html

[OnionPatch]

16. Awesome! Thanks!

[LiberalEsto]

17. I have GERD also. Can't help with the licorice although I knew it messed with blood pressure

I noticed that it acts up when I'm bending over and doing a lot of weeding and other garden work in the spring. It's not as bad if I kneel down and work closer to ground level.

I also have the bad habit of reading in bed, sometimes while eating something. That half-sitting, half lying down position is not good for the GERD. I'm trying to avoid eating in bed, and trying to sit all the way up while reading in bed.

Try to look at your movements and posture and see if some small adjustments could help with your reflux.

Do you think drinking an extra glass of water or two a day might help flush the licorice out of your system? Just don't overdo it, as drinking excessive amounts of water can also be harmful.

[OnionPatch]

18. I've been drinking water.

Actually, the tingling feeling in the limbs is starting to go away. I've been eating avocados, baked potatoes (with the skin), bananas, salmon, etc. for the last few days. My BP is down a bit, too but not back to normal yet.

For the posture thing, I started thinking about this just this past week and am being very careful not to bend over. But what about sleeping? I added a two inch raiser to the head of my bed but I'm not sure if that's good enough. Should I try to raise my upper body more than that? I find it uncomfortable to be raised up too much. I suppose not eating a good while before bedtime makes a difference, too.

Thanks for the tips!

[MickiSue]

19. Try A Good Quality Aloe for the GERD

As well as cutting back on things with a lot of sugar in them.

Aloe helps your digestive system like it helps your skin--calming excess reactions.

Make SURE it's the gel, and not the juice, though. The juice works much too well as a laxative!

[BuddhaGirl]

24. the “deglycyrrhizinated" form of licorice, called DGL

doesn't affect blood pressure.

It can be found in the form of chewable tablets. I have used it for acid reflux and it works great.

[OnionPatch]

25. I found some at the local healthfood store

and have been using it. It does seem to help me some. It works better than the tea did, anyway.

Also, I just ordered some marshmallow root tea, which is supposed to help GERD as well. I checked all over and can't find that it's harmful. Have you tried it?

[SheilaT]

27. I'm thinking that one of the lessons here is

that moderation is always a good idea. It seems as though the problem was the very large amounts of licorice that was consumed.

[OnionPatch]

28. You're right.

I usually do use moderation. My problem is that I love herbal teas and coffee. I normally have a couple cups of coffee every day and several different types of herbal teas. (I never did drink soda.) But coffee and most every kind of tea, even herbals, are not allowed on my GERD diet. So when I finally found a tea I could drink, I ended up drinking a lot of it.

I'm still having a hard time without my teas and coffee. I'm drinking more water but water is so boring. And I like hot drinks. I've actually been just drinking cups of plain hot water to get my fix, lol.

[SheilaT]

29. Interesting.

I rarely drink tea, and usually only one cup of coffee a day.

I used to drink soft drinks but stopped around ten years ago for various reasons. So what I drink a lot of is water. Also wine, champagne, and beer when I get the chance, but really more water than anything else. In fact, when I am consuming alcohol, I'm also drinking lots of water at the same time to cut back on the dehydration that alcohol can cause.

Anyway, I also like plain, not flavored, carbonated water, which is something you might try to ease back from the tea and coffee deprivation. Maybe it will help.

[OnionPatch]

32. I wish I liked water more.

That's why I drink a lot of herbal tea, to stay hydrated. I think my problem is that I've always been on the cold side so cold drinks don't appeal to me. I'm actually starting to enjoy the hot water. I know. Weird.

I don't think I'm allowed carbonated drinks of any kind but if I get to a point where I am I'll try the water. Thanks!

[OnionPatch]

31. 101/65!! I'm back to normal!

At least for the blood pressure. It took a week to get from 140/something to this. The tingling in the arms is about gone too. I hope there aren't any other issues like were mentioned in the articles.

Thanks everyone for all the great info on licorice and GERD. Best wishes to all of you who mentioned your health issues.

[SheilaT]

33. Fabulous!

I was a bit concerned that it might take much longer.