← All supplements

Licorice root

Supplement botanical gut
Aka: Glycyrrhiza glabra, gan cao, DGL, deglycyrrhizinated licorice
Brands seen in Singapore: Natural Factors, NOW Foods, Nature's Answer, Nature's Way, Swanson Vitamins
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist before you start, stop or change the timing of anything you take.
How to use
What it’s for
Promoted for digestion — effect on gut symptoms unclear
Pros & cons
Pros
  • Dgl versions leave out glycyrrhizin, the risky part
  • Generally considered safe as a food ingredient
  • Livertox scores liver-injury risk as unlikely
Cons
  • Glycyrrhizin can cause irregular heartbeat, even arrest
  • No high-quality evidence for any health condition
  • SG labels cannot claim ulcer or gastritis benefits
Sources
  1. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, last updated April 2025, How Much Do We Know · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Some studies of licorice in people have been completed, but there isn't enough high-quality evidence to clearly support its use for any health condition.”
  2. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, What Have We Learned (digestive symptoms) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “It's unclear whether products containing licorice alone (excluding herbal blends with licorice) have an effect on digestive symptoms.”
  3. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, What Do We Know About Safety (food use) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Licorice root is generally considered safe as a food ingredient.”
  4. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, What Do We Know About Safety (glycyrrhizin) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Licorice contains a component called glycyrrhizin, or glycyrrhizic acid, that can cause serious adverse effects, such as irregular heartbeat and cardiac arrest, especially when consumed in large amounts or in the long term.”
  5. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Oral licorice products that do not contain glycyrrhizin (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) might be safe for up to 4 months.”
  6. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, safety in salt, hypertension, heart and kidney conditions · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Even small amounts of glycyrrhizin from licorice root products have been linked to severe adverse effects in people who consume a lot of salt, in people with hypertension, and in people with heart or kidney conditions.”
  7. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, interactions · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Interactions between licorice and corticosteroids have been reported.”
  8. NIH NCCIH — Licorice Root, pregnancy and breastfeeding · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Consuming oral licorice extract in large amounts (about 250 grams of licorice per week) during pregnancy is unsafe and can increase the risk of delivery before gestational age of 38 weeks.”
  9. NIH LiverTox — Licorice, NIDDK/NCBI Bookshelf — Introduction and likelihood score · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “Licorice when given in high doses has many serious adverse events, but has not been reported to cause serum aminotransferase elevations or clinically apparent liver injury … Likelihood score: E (unlikely cause of clinically apparent liver injury).”
  10. NIH LiverTox — Licorice, Background (glycyrrhizin content) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “A major component of licorice root (ranging from 4% to 12%) is glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhizinic acid, an astringent molecule with corticosteroid-like activities.”
  11. HSA Singapore — Guidelines on Prohibited and Restricted Ingredients in Health Supplements and Traditional Medicines, GL-CHPB-1-012 Rev. No. 001 (Oct 2025), Annex A (118 rows) and Annex B (4 rows) — licorice / Glycyrrhiza glabra / gan cao / DGL NOT LISTED in either annex · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “The objective of this guideline is to highlight the substances of concern when used in HS and TM and is not meant to be an exhaustive list.”
  12. HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), clause 6.6 and Table 6 (prohibited claims) — Digestive system row: Ulcers, gastritis, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, fatty liver, diarrhoea, constipation, inflammation of the intestines, liver or pancreas · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “HS must not be labelled, advertised or promoted for any specific medicinal purpose, i.e. treatment or prevention, implied or otherwise, of any disease or disorder … Digestive system: Ulcers, gastritis, hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, fatty liver”
  13. HSA Singapore — Health Supplements Guidelines GL-CHPB-3-001 Rev. No. 020 (January 2026), clause 4.8 with Tables 4-5 (vitamins and minerals only — no botanical rows) · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “4.8 HS for use by the general adult population should not contain vitamins and minerals exceeding the stipulated limits stated in Tables 4 and 5.”
  14. iHerb Singapore — Licorice Root (DGL) category page, default listing order · read 2026-08-27
    what it says
    “1 - 35 of 35 results … Natural Factors, DGL, Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice … NOW Foods, DGL with Aloe Vera, 400 mg … Nature's Answer, Licorice Root Fluid Extract, 2,000 mg … Nature's Way, DGL, Licorice … Swanson Vitamins, DGL”
Report a correction View as JSON

Updated 2026-08-29. Every line above traces to a numbered source. Kozen-X is not a medical device and does not give medical advice. It lists what published sources have written down — nothing more. A pair not listed is unrecorded, not cleared. Before you start, stop or re-time anything, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.