Licorice Use Long-Term

I remember Buhner saying that issues are minimized (perhaps eliminated?) when licorice is taken with other herbs. Not sure how that works.. I will have to review and report back.

What kind of licorice have you been taking and at what dosage?

Ok I believe that would be considered an extremely small dose. In 'Healing Lyme' Buhner describes a typical dose of capsules/powders as "4 grams daily in 3 divided doses".

The side effects can include "edema, weak limbs, spastic numbness, dizziness, headache, hypertension, hypokalemia.. Additional problems are: decreases in plasma renin an aldosterone levels, and at very large doses, decreased body and thymus weight and blood cell counts." This is essentially "pseudoaldosteronism, which licorice can and indeed does cause if you take too much of it for too long."

"However: If you take licorice along with some other supplements, it can reduce or even eliminate the tendency of the herb to produce pseudoaldosteronism. ...glycine and L-cysteine (added to your protocol will) limit the potential for pseudoaldosteronism if you are taking large doses of licorice for extended periods. ...The addition of potassium will also help prevent hypokalemia."

"Licorice should be taken in combination with other herbs - this reduces the tendency for side effects by itself."

He doesn't specify any particular herbs.

Post Edited (potsnpans) : 8/8/2020 10:52:10 AM (GMT-6)

Yes. I remember that licorice is to be used shorter term. I thought it affected the heart or blood pressure. Buhner always uses it with other herbs as a ____?? I forgot the word. It synergizes with the other herbs and makes them more effective. Ginger is another one, but licorice is the one he includes the most in herbal mixes.

Mechanisms of toxic action
Mainly through up-regulating potassium excretion and decreasing sodium excretion in the kidneys causing low potassium and high sodium concentrations in the blood - which then drives most of the other issues.
It prevents the metabolism of cortisol to cortisone and thereby maintains cortisol at higher than normal levels in a dose-dependent fashion
Also seems to have a hormone-like interaction and is known to reduce testosterone in men and women. Resulting in reduced libido etc
Low potassium in the diet makes people more susceptible - and so higher potassium intake may be protective to some degree.( note to self- Look up high potassium Keto foods)

Pathophysiology
Natural licorice possesses both mineralocorticoid properties and glucocorticoid properties. Most licorice-flavored foods available in the United States do not contain GZA, and they do not produce the hypermineralocorticoid syndromes observed with the long-term consumption of moderate-to-significant amounts of natural licorice.
Consumption of large doses of GZA in licorice extract can lead to hypokalemia and serious hypertension, a syndrome known as hypermineralocorticoidism.[14, 15] Biochemical studies indicate that glycyrrhizinates inhibit 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (type 2), the enzyme responsible for inactivating cortisol through conversion to cortisone. As a result, a continuous, high-level exposure to glycyrrhizin compounds can produce hypermineralocorticoid-like effects in both animals and humans. These effects are reversible upon withdrawal of licorice or glycyrrhizin. but may take weeks or montsh to fully reverse.
In the kidney, cortisol activation of mineralocorticoid receptors alters renal tubular exchange of sodium (retained), potassium (excreted), and hydrogen ions (excreted); producing an increased extracellular volume (hypertension,[16] edema), hypokalemia (weakness, muscle spasm),[17] and metabolic alkalosis.[18]
Pseudoprimary aldosteronism from chronic licorice ingestion is characterized by low serum and urinary aldosterone levels and decreased serum renin activity. This differs from true primary hyperaldosteronism caused by aldosterone-producing adenomas or primary adrenal hyperplasia, which is characterized by elevated urine and serum aldosterone levels.
Licorice can reduce the serum testosterone level, probably by blocking 17-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 17,20 lyase.[19] Licorice has therefore been considered an adjuvant therapy of hirsutism and polycystic ovary syndrome.[20]

studies show that 2mg of glycyrrhizinic acid per kg ( or around 160mg / day for me ) seemed to be fine for most people for at least 8 weeks
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3498851/

not sure how well this will post here but I did a rough calc and it showed that my 1ml 4x of tincture would be around 35-40mg / day - so likely safe but could still present problems over the v long term ( is excreted only v slowly )

rough calc of licorice dosage

active ingredient content glycyrrhizinic acid 5% ( WHO standard )
tincture extraction rate 80% estimate based on fine particle size, known high solubility, high alc concentration - v long contact time - hydraulic press
tinct ration 1: 5 ratio
dry weight 100 g
meanstrum 500 g
yield 475 g
yield ML 490 ml
total extracted active per batch 4.00 g
active extracted ingredients per g tinct 0.008 g
active extracted ingredients per ml tinct 0.008 g
dose of active if 4.5ml dose 4.5 0.037 g

interestingly L-Cysteine and L-Serine are used to counter the effects and many of us also take NAC which contains Cystine so that may well help.