Licorice Root
Sweeter than sugar, and the one entry with an upper limit.
- On the label as
- Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) root
- Position
- 14 of 14, heaviest first
- Botanical or chemical name
- Glycyrrhiza glabra
- Part used
- Root
- Where it comes from
- The Mediterranean, the Middle East and central Asia
- Human evidence for glucose
- Limited — Mechanistically interesting, with little human evidence for this outcome.
- Amount in GlycoAid
- Not disclosed; part of one 500 mg blend
Licorice root is a legume, related to peas and beans, and it has been in continuous medicinal use around the Mediterranean for thousands of years. Within living memory British children chewed sticks of the dried root as sweets.
Glycyrrhizin defines it. The compound is somewhere between thirty and fifty times sweeter than table sugar, and that same sweetness is the source of every warning attached to the plant.
What the research shows
Licorice has genuine pharmacology, most of it unrelated to blood sugar. It has good support for soothing stomach irritation and has shown anti-inflammatory and antiviral behaviour in the laboratory.
Where glucose is concerned the interest lies in compounds called amorfrutins, which act on the same receptor family a class of diabetes drugs targets. That is mechanistically interesting and it has never been carried into human glucose trials, which is why the evidence here is graded Limited.
Evidence grade: Limited
Mechanistically interesting, with little human evidence for this outcome.
What that means inside GlycoAid
Fourteenth and last, meaning the lightest component of the 500 mg. Given that licorice is the only ingredient here with a published upper intake limit, last place is exactly where it should be.
Everything above describes licorice root as a named substance at doses used in published work. It does not describe GlycoAid, which declares one combined 500 mg covering all fourteen ingredients and publishes no individual amount.
Cautions and interactions
- This is the ingredient with a genuine ceiling. Glycyrrhizin can push blood pressure up, potassium down and cause fluid retention. European guidance suggests keeping sustained intake under roughly 100 mg a day.
- Anyone with high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease or low potassium should raise licorice specifically with a doctor.
- Interactions are on record with water tablets, digoxin, steroid medication and drugs for blood pressure.
- Avoid during pregnancy.
Questions About Licorice Root
Three that come in most often about this ingredient.
What counts as too much?
European guidance puts sustained glycyrrhizin intake below about 100 mg daily.
Is the amount here a concern?
It is last on a 500 mg label of fourteen, so the quantity is small. Anyone eating licorice sweets regularly should add both together.
Why is it on a blood sugar label at all?
Laboratory work on its flavonoids. The human glucose evidence is limited, hence the grade.
Other Ingredients In The Blend
The label lists ingredients heaviest first, so position is the only quantitative information it carries.
See all fourteen ingredients · About the product · Safety information
GlycoAid Contains Licorice Root
Alongside thirteen other ingredients inside one 500 mg blend, taken as a single capsule a day.
- 14 ingredients in one 500 mg blend
- 30 capsules a bottle, one a day
- 60-day money-back guarantee from the charge date
- $49 a bottle on six with free US shipping
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