The Sweet Root That Can Raise the Pressure: Licorice, Yashtimadhu and a Cautious UK Buying Guide

Licorice root has an old and respectable place in Vedic-inspired practice. As yashtimadhu, it appears in soothing teas, digestive powders and respiratory preparations; on UK high streets it turns up in lozenges, syrups and capsules, often with little more than a botanical name on the label. The difficulty is that licorice is not merely a flavouring. Its principal sweet constituent, glycyrrhizin, is biologically active, and for some people regular use at sufficient dose can raise blood pressure, disturb potassium balance and produce symptoms that are easy to attribute to something else. In 2026, the UK supplement aisle offers convenience but not always clarity. A cautious buying framework is therefore more useful than a blanket verdict.

A Familiar Sweetness, A Less Familiar Risk

Licorice, Glycyrrhiza glabra, is a leguminous root rather than a confection. Its sweetness comes largely from glycyrrhizin, a compound many times sweeter than sucrose. Traditional use has centred on the digestive tract, the respiratory tract and the occasional need for a soothing, slow-acting preparation. Modern supplement culture has extended that reach into daily capsules, herbal blends and functional drinks. The occasional cup of licorice tea is a different exposure from a standardised capsule taken every morning for months, and the label does not always help the consumer distinguish between the two.

The central point is not that licorice is unsafe for everyone. It is that dose, duration and individual susceptibility matter. A reader with well-controlled blood pressure who drinks a mild licorice tea once in a while is in a different position from a reader taking a concentrated extract alongside a diuretic, or from someone with kidney disease who has not considered the mineral effects. The root deserves the same label-reading discipline applied to any other active supplement.

What Glycyrrhizin Does in the Body

Glycyrrhizin is converted in the gut to glycyrrhetinic acid. This metabolite inhibits an enzyme, 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, which normally protects the mineralocorticoid receptor from cortisol. When the enzyme is inhibited, cortisol can act on that receptor, encouraging sodium retention and potassium excretion. The practical consequences can include a rise in blood pressure, fluid retention and low potassium, or hypokalaemia. In more pronounced cases, low potassium may contribute to muscle weakness, cramps, fatigue or palpitations.

Not everyone responds in the same way. Age, existing hypertension, kidney function, salt intake, medication and the amount and duration of licorice use all influence risk. This is why a single safety threshold is difficult to apply across the population. It is also why the phrase natural does not settle the question. A plant constituent can be both traditional and pharmacologically potent; the two facts are not in conflict.

Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, usually abbreviated to DGL, has most of the glycyrrhizin removed. It is often marketed for digestive comfort, but it should not be treated as interchangeable with whole licorice root. DGL may suit some readers who want licorice-adjacent digestive support without the same mineralocorticoid exposure, yet product quality and evidence vary. Whole root, extracts and DGL are different preparations and should be read as such.

Why the UK Label Can Leave You Guessing

UK supplement labelling generally requires ingredients to be declared, but it does not always require the amount of glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhizic acid to be stated in a form the shopper can easily interpret. A product may list licorice root extract or yashtimadhu without quantifying the active constituent, and the daily dose may be expressed in milligrams of extract rather than milligrams of glycyrrhizin. That makes comparison between products difficult.

The regulatory route also matters. A traditional herbal medicine registered with the MHRA will carry approved directions and warnings; a food supplement may carry different information; a confectionery or tea product falls under yet another set of expectations. Consumers should not assume that the absence of a warning means the absence of risk. Nor should they assume that a product sold in a health food shop is automatically lower dose than one sold as a medicine. The sensible approach is to identify what kind of product is being bought, then look for the numbers that matter.

Where a label gives a standardised extract, readers should check whether it states the glycyrrhizin content as a percentage or in milligrams per serving. Where it does not, the product is harder to assess. A reputable retailer may provide a specification sheet or batch information on request, but many do not. In that situation, caution is reasonable, particularly for daily use.

Who Should Be Most Cautious

Readers with existing high blood pressure, kidney disease, heart disease or a history of low potassium should be especially careful with concentrated licorice products. The same applies to people taking diuretics, digoxin, corticosteroids or certain blood pressure medicines, because licorice may interact with both the condition and the treatment. Pregnancy and breastfeeding warrant a conservative approach, and anyone taking multiple supplements should consider cumulative exposure rather than treating each product in isolation.

This is not a reason for alarm at every licorice sweet. It is a reason to avoid stacking several licorice-containing products without noticing. A cough syrup, a digestive capsule and an evening tea may each seem modest, but together they can amount to a meaningful daily dose. Readers taking prescribed medication, or managing a long-term condition, should speak to a GP or pharmacist before using concentrated licorice regularly.

A Practical Buying Framework

A measured approach begins with the form of the product. Whole root tea, a standardised capsule, a syrup and DGL are not equivalent. Second, look for quantified glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhizic acid. If the label gives only extract weight, treat the daily dose as uncertain. Third, calculate the total from all sources, including teas, lozenges and any combination formulas. Fourth, prefer short courses over indefinite daily use where the product is concentrated. Fifth, choose retailers who can answer basic specification questions and who display batch or best-before information clearly. Sixth, do not assume that a traditional herbal registration makes a product risk-free; it indicates a different regulatory route, not a guarantee of suitability for every individual.

For readers who want digestive support and are concerned about glycyrrhizin, DGL may be worth discussing with a pharmacist, but it should not be presented as a like-for-like replacement for whole licorice. For readers using licorice for a cough or throat, a short, labelled course is a more defensible pattern than an open-ended daily habit. The Vedic-inspired principle of ritual is best served by attention, not by automatic repetition.

Monitoring at Home Without Overreacting

If licorice is used regularly at a concentrated dose, a baseline blood pressure reading is sensible, followed by a check after two to four weeks. Readers with risk factors may wish to ask their GP about potassium monitoring, particularly if they take diuretics or have kidney disease. Warning signs such as swelling, unusual headaches, muscle weakness, cramps or palpitations should prompt discontinuation and medical advice rather than a wait-and-see approach.

Home monitoring is not a licence to continue a high dose simply because one reading looks acceptable. Blood pressure and potassium can change gradually, and individual response varies. The purpose of monitoring is to catch a problem early, not to prove that a product is harmless.

The Bottom Line

Licorice root has a legitimate place in traditional practice and in carefully formulated products. It also has a well-described capacity to raise blood pressure and lower potassium when the dose is high enough or the user is susceptible. The UK label gap makes that risk harder to judge than it should be. In 2026, the prudent course is to buy from sources that quantify what they sell, to avoid unnoticed stacking, to keep concentrated use time-limited and to seek professional advice when blood pressure, kidney health or medication is part of the picture. Ancient wisdom and modern evidence meet most usefully in a ritual that includes reading the label.