For most healthy adults, licorice tea is best limited to one small cup a day and only for short periods, since higher intake can raise blood pressure.
Why Licorice Tea Can Be Risky
Licorice tea feels gentle in a mug, yet the root behind that sweet flavour carries a hormone-like compound called glycyrrhizin. This substance changes how your body handles salt, water, and potassium, and that can push blood pressure up in a way many drinkers never expect.
Research links frequent licorice intake with raised blood pressure, swelling, muscle weakness, headaches, and heart rhythm changes in some people. Government bodies advise strict limits on glycyrrhizin intake to keep these effects in check, with many warning that a high daily dose from tea, sweets, and supplements together can become risky.
Glycyrrhizin And Your Blood Pressure
Glycyrrhizin slows the breakdown of cortisol, which then acts a bit like the hormone aldosterone. The knock-on effect is more sodium held in the body, more water retention, and a drop in potassium. That mix drives blood pressure higher and can disturb the electrical signals that keep your heart beating in rhythm.
Reports from heart health charities and medicine regulators describe cases where people developed severe hypertension, low potassium, and dangerous arrhythmias after regular licorice intake from tea or sweets. These effects eased only after the person stopped all licorice products and received medical treatment.
| Who Is Drinking Licorice Tea | Typical Advice On Amount | Why The Limit Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy adult under 65, no regular medicines | Up to one small cup a day, for short spells only | Keeps glycyrrhizin intake below safety limits |
| Adult with high blood pressure | Avoid unless a doctor clearly says otherwise | Extra sodium and water can raise pressure |
| Heart or kidney disease | Generally avoid licorice tea | Salt and fluid shifts strain these organs |
| Older adult over 65 | If used, keep to occasional small cups | Higher chance of blood pressure swings and clashes with medicines |
| Pregnant person | Avoid licorice tea and strong licorice products | High intake has been linked with pregnancy and growth issues |
| Person on diuretics or blood pressure pills | Only drink licorice tea after written medical advice | Licorice can blunt these drugs and lower potassium |
| Child or teenager | No licorice tea unless a paediatric clinician recommends it | Lower body weight means a stronger dose per cup |
| Person using licorice sweets on top of tea | Count sweets, tea, and supplements together or choose one source only | All forms add glycyrrhizin, so totals can rise fast |
Short-Term Versus Regular Drinking
An occasional cup of licorice tea for a sore throat or digestion comfort, in someone without medical problems, is different from drinking several mugs on most days. Short bursts give your body time to clear glycyrrhizin, while steady daily intake lets it build up and press on hormone systems for weeks.
Health agencies warn that high daily glycyrrhizin intake over time, even at levels once thought acceptable, can still raise blood pressure in a meaningful way. That is why most safety advice talks about both how much licorice you have and how many days or weeks in a row you drink it.
How Much Licorice Tea Is Too Much? Daily Cup Guidelines
When people ask how much licorice tea is too much?, they usually want a simple cup count. The trouble is that different brands, brewing times, and serving sizes carry different doses of glycyrrhizin, so one person’s mild mug can equal another person’s strong medicinal drink.
As a rough guide for a healthy adult, staying at one small cup a day, no larger than about 250 millilitres, and keeping that habit to no more than four to six weeks in a row stays closer to current safety advice. Some herbal guides mention up to two or three cups daily, yet newer blood pressure studies suggest that such steady intake may overshoot glycyrrhizin limits for many people.
Turning Safety Limits Into Cups
An expert group for the World Health Organization set an acceptable daily intake for glycyrrhizin of around 0.2 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, which equals about 14 milligrams per day for a 70 kilogram adult. Their work, summarised in the WHO JECFA monograph on glycyrrhizinic acid, also notes that heavy consumers can pass 100 milligrams a day from tea and sweets together.
The French food safety agency ANSES takes an even tighter view and encourages adults to stay below 10 milligrams of glycyrrhizin a day and to avoid continuous intake of liquorice products, as set out in its advice on liquorice consumption. When you compare those numbers with the wide range of glycyrrhizin content found in commercial teas, it becomes clear that cup counts alone can mislead.
Why Cup Advice Differs So Much Online
Many tea blogs, herbal shops, and supplement labels still repeat older figures such as two or three cups a day for adults, because they were written before newer research on blood pressure and electrolyte changes came out. Testing also shows big gaps between brands, depending on which part of the root is used, how hot the water is, and how long the tea stands.
Because of that uncertainty, a cautious plan makes sense. One modest cup on days when you feel a strong pull toward licorice tea, with gaps in between and regular checks on how you feel, carries far less risk than turning it into an everyday habit on top of licorice sweets or tablets.
Licorice Tea Intake And How Much Is Too Much For You
The phrase how much licorice tea is too much? hides a major detail: your own health history. The same mug that barely nudges blood pressure in one adult can cause trouble in another who already has a heart condition, kidney disease, or a long list of medicines.
Before you let licorice tea sit on your kitchen counter as a daily drink, it helps to think through your medical background, your other sources of licorice, and the signs your body gives you when something is off. A frank chat with a doctor or pharmacist who knows your record is the safest way to put that picture together.
Who Should Avoid Licorice Tea Entirely
Some groups face high risk from even modest licorice intake and do best steering away from licorice tea altogether unless a specialist gives clear, written guidance. People with diagnosed hypertension, heart failure, coronary artery disease, kidney disease, or a history of low potassium fall in this camp.
Pregnant people, those trying to conceive, and anyone with hormone-sensitive conditions such as certain breast or uterine cancers are also often advised to stay away from licorice root products. The same caution applies if you take diuretics, corticosteroids, digoxin, or other medicines that already change fluid or electrolyte balance.
Medicines That Clash With Licorice Tea
Licorice can magnify the effect of water tablets and many blood pressure medicines, raising the chance of low potassium, dizziness, and irregular heartbeat. It may also interfere with some anticoagulants and insulin dosing. If you take any long-term prescription, herbal licorice should never be added on top without a clear plan from the clinician who manages your care.
Bring medicine boxes or a clear list to your next appointment and ask directly whether licorice tea fits with your regimen. If your clinician prefers that you avoid it, ask about alternative herbal teas that do not change blood pressure in the same way.
| Warning Sign | What You May Notice | Suggested Next Step |
|---|---|---|
| Rising blood pressure readings | Home cuff readings creep higher after weeks with licorice tea | Stop licorice products and arrange a prompt review with your clinician |
| Swollen ankles or hands | Shoes or rings feel tighter, especially later in the day | Pause licorice tea and mention the swelling at your next medical visit |
| Muscle weakness or cramps | Legs feel heavy, shaky, or cramp at night | These can link to low potassium, so seek medical advice quickly |
| Irregular heartbeat or palpitations | Fluttering, racing, or missed beats in your chest | Treat this as urgent and seek same-day care, saying you drink licorice tea |
| Persistent headaches | New or stronger headaches after you start drinking licorice tea | Check your blood pressure and talk with a health professional |
| Shortness of breath | Breath feels tight on stairs or mild effort | Seek urgent assessment and mention all licorice products you use |
| Dark urine or severe fatigue | You feel wiped out, with changes in urine colour | Stop licorice tea straight away and get emergency care |
Safer Habits For Drinking Licorice Tea
If you and your clinician agree that small amounts of licorice tea fit your health picture, a few habits can reduce risk. The goal is to keep your glycyrrhizin load low, give your body breaks, and avoid hidden licorice from other products.
Choose Milder Products
Look for herbal blends where licorice root appears lower in the ingredient list instead of as the sole or first herb. Some brands offer deglycyrrhizinated licorice, often labelled DGL, which removes most glycyrrhizin and may carry less risk for blood pressure, though you should still treat it with care if you take medicines.
Avoid making licorice root decoctions that simmer large amounts of the root for long periods, since this can pull far more active compound into each cup than a brief steep from a tea bag.
Limit Frequency And Take Breaks
Instead of drinking licorice tea every day, save it for days when you have a sore throat, cough, or digestive discomfort and stick to one cup. Give yourself licorice-free weeks between stretches of use so hormone systems and electrolytes can settle back to baseline.
Rotate with other soothing herbal teas that do not contain licorice, such as ginger, chamomile, or peppermint, provided they fit with your medical history. That way you keep variety in your routine without leaning on a single herb that carries a narrow safety margin.
Watch For Other Licorice Sources
Licorice flavour turns up in more places than many people realise. Sweets, lozenges, some chewing gums, certain tobaccos, and even herbal supplements can all contain licorice extract or glycyrrhizin. When you drink licorice tea on top of these, your daily intake climbs fast.
Read ingredient lists, look for words such as Glycyrrhiza glabra, liquorice extract, or glycyrrhizin, and count all of them toward your personal limit. If you already eat a lot of licorice sweets, adding licorice tea on top is rarely a wise idea.
When To Seek Medical Help About Licorice Tea
If you notice any of the warning signs listed earlier while using licorice tea, do not wait for them to pass on their own. Stop every form of licorice, check your blood pressure if you have a home cuff, and reach out for urgent medical advice, especially if you have chest pain, breathlessness, or a pounding heartbeat.
For people with chronic conditions or those who take regular prescriptions, it is safer to raise the question of licorice tea during a routine review instead of guessing on your own. This article gives general information and does not replace care from your own doctor. That way you can enjoy hot drinks with far greater more confidence, knowing the safe range of licorice tea for your body, your medicines, and your long-term health.