Licorice Extract For Blood Pressure

If you are concerned with blood pressure, you might want to avoid licorice extract. The ingredient, which you can find in supplements, increases the risk of getting high blood pressure. The effects are particularly noticeable with a type containing the ingredient glycyrrhizin. Because of the potentially negative side effects, consult your doctor before adding licorice to your diet.

Licorice Extract

Licorice extract comes from peeled root of the licorice plant. It is packaged and sold in tea, capsules, pills and liquid extract form. Licorice in its natural form contains glycyrrhizin. The ingredient is a potent sweetener, but it has been linked to health risks such as salt retention, reduced potassium and high blood pressure. A second form of licorice is available, called DGL, for deglycyrrhizinated licorice. DGL may have fewer side effects, although you should still consult your doctor before taking it.

High Blood Pressure

One third of adults in the United States have high blood pressure, the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Reports. Herbal supplements that increase your blood pressure include licorice, bitter orange, ginseng, guarana, ephedra and St. John's wort. High blood pressure leads to damaged blood vessels, kidneys and the heart. People with the condition often feel no symptoms. When a doctor takes your blood pressure, he consider pressure during a heart beat -- called systolic -- and pressure between heart beats, called diastolic. A normal systolic measurement is less than 120, and a normal diastolic measurement is less than 80.

Risks of Extract for Blood Pressure

If you take too much licorice extract for long periods, you may develop high blood pressure. Licorice contributes to salt and water retention in your body by suppressing aldosterone, a hormone that controls your body's sodium levels. If you consume 30 g or more of licorice per day for a month, you might see a rise in blood pressure. As little as 5 g of licorice per day can increase your blood pressure if it's already high, if you have kidney or heart disease, or if you consume too much salt. Licorice also works against high blood pressure medication.

When to Avoid Licorice Extract

Talk with your doctor about taking licorice root extract if you have high blood pressure, a high-sodium diet or kidney or heart disease. If you have low potassium levels, licorice extract can reduce your potassium levels even further. Some medications, such as diuretics and corticosteroids, lower potassium levels and should not be combined with licorice. Licorice extract is linked with preterm labor, and so avoid the supplement if you are pregnant.

Licorice Extract for Blood Pressure