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Does Licorice Lower Blood Sugar?

Q. I read in a women’s magazine that natural licorice candy can help in lowering blood glucose levels. I am 37 and considered pre-diabetic. I am not overweight.

Have you heard of this use of licorice? How much licorice is safe to consume? Can it interfere with any medications?

A. We were surprised to discover that licorice extract can indeed help control blood sugar in diabetic rats (Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, Feb. 2011). Licorice candy, with its added sugar, would presumably be counterproductive.

Long-term use of licorice can lead to fluid retention, increased blood pressure, loss of potassium and lowered libido. It can interact with numerous drugs, especially heart medicine like digoxin or diuretics like furosemide.

We would discourage your use of licorice for treating pre-diabetes since we don’t have dosing information for humans.

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About the Author
Terry Graedon, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and co-host of The People’s Pharmacy radio show, co-author of The People’s Pharmacy syndicated newspaper columns and numerous books, and co-founder of The People’s Pharmacy website. Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies..
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