Licorice and Magnesium

You might take herbal supplements and supplemental vitamins or minerals to boost your health or to overcome certain medical conditions, such as licorice supplements for a respiratory problem or magnesium to help lower high blood pressure. Consult a health care provider before you add new supplements into your regimen, however, because many over-the-counter herbal remedies have contraindications, meaning they might interact with certain other vitamins or herbs, or with specific medications.

Licorice

Licorice has been used medicinally for thousands of years. It's popular in both Western and Eastern medicine for its demulcent properties, meaning it is a soothing and coating agent, and as an expectorant that rids mucus and phlegm from your respiratory tract. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL licorice, is sometimes recommended for treating acid reflux, peptic ulcers and canker sores. Whole licorice might be suggested for respiratory problems, including cough and asthma, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Licorice supplements are made from the plant's root. You will find them in tablet, capsule, tea and liquid extract form. This is different from the candy called licorice, which might or might not be flavored with actual licorice extract. The extract does have a sweet taste and is used in candy-making. It's also used to mask the bitter taste of some medicines like expectorants. Check product ingredients to determine whether your candy or medicine contains actual licorice.

Magnesium

Magnesium is a mineral that is essential for health. You need it for a steady heart rhythm, normal blood pressure, healthy immune system, strong bones, normal nerve function, normal muscle function and regulating blood sugar levels. It's also needed for protein synthesis and energy metabolism. This mineral might be useful for preventing and managing disorders such as high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, but more research is needed before firm conclusions can be drawn, according to the U.S. Office of Dietary Supplements.

Combined Contraindications

Licorice and supplemental magnesium do not have contraindications with one another, according to Drugs.com, though you should consult a health care provider before combining them. These supplements can interact with some of the same medications. These include antibiotics such as nalidixic acid, neomycin, netilmycin, norfloxacin, nitrofurantoin, sparfloxacin, sodium sulfacetamide and streptomycin and antibacterial medicines like silver sulfadiazine. They interact in differing ways with such drugs. Using magnesium with neomycin, for example, raises your risk for muscular weakness or paralysis. Meanwhile, licorice and neomycin both might deplete potassium levels, so taking them together increases risk of this effect. Both licorice and magnesium also interact with the inflammatory bowel disease medicine salicylazosulfapyridinen, the anticoagulant medicine nicoumalone and the cardiac glycoside ouabain. Each interacts with acid indigestion and ulcer medicines such as nizatidine and ranitidine as well.

Other Magnesium Interactions

Magnesium interacts with many other drugs. It is contraindicated for additional antibiotics such as amikacin because it can increase your risk for muscular weakness or paralysis. Taking it with certain muscle relaxants such as pancuronium can enhance the drugs' effects. Using magnesium along with blood pressure medications such as bepridil can raise your risk for hypotension, or excessively low blood pressure. Taking it with other drugs such as levofloxacin, used for bronchitis or pneumonia, can decrease absorption and effectiveness of the medication. Using it with labetalol or levomethadyl acetate hydrochloride can be harmful to your heart. A host of other drugs might reduce your absorption and utilization of magnesium, including antibiotics such as amikacin.

Other Licorice Interactions

Licorice can interact with diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme, or ACE, inhibitors by interfering with their effectiveness and worsening side effects. It also might dangerously increase the toxic effects from digoxin. Licorice can increase effects of some medicines such as corticosteroids and MAO inhibitors. Licorice also raises the risk of low potassium levels if you take it with oral contraceptives or stimulant laxatives.