Licorice Root
Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is an herb used in teas, candies, and supplements. Biologically it’s not “neutral”: its main constituent glycyrrhizin (and metabolites such as glycyrrhetinic acid) can inhibit 11β-HSD2, allowing cortisol to overstimulate mineralocorticoid receptors. In higher or chronic intakes this can mimic aldosterone excess and contribute to high blood pressure, low potassium, and fluid retention (“pseudoaldosteronism”). Licorice is also discussed as having anti-androgen potential: a clinical study in healthy women reported reduced serum testosterone, with proposed mechanisms involving inhibition of steroidogenic enzymes (e.g., 17,20-lyase and 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase).
In PFS/PSSD/PAS communities, licorice root is often approached cautiously because it can plausibly influence androgen/steroid pathways and, at higher exposures, can disrupt electrolyte/cortisol-mineralocorticoid signaling. Community reports include accounts of symptom flares after licorice tea or supplements, and some users describe longer-lasting destabilization—though outcomes are variable and dose/formulation likely matters (tea vs concentrated extracts). Practical risk cues commonly cited include concentrated extracts, “hormone/adrenal” blends, and frequent intake. For many people trying to stabilize, the conservative approach is to avoid licorice supplements/extracts and discontinue if a clear, consistent worsening appears.
(1) https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8109973/
(2) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15579328/
(3) https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2021.719197/full
Crash Anecdotes (Community Reports):
https://www.reddit.com/r/PSSD/comments/ualz59/anyone_crashed_from_licorice_supplements/
How to Interpret This Page
This page summarizes anecdotal reports and community observations, not medical evidence. “Risk” here refers to how frequently severe or prolonged symptom worsening is reported, not to proven causation or population-wide probability. Individual responses vary widely, and absence of issues in some users does not rule out significant reactions in others.
Risk Signal Based on User Reports
Reports of Flares and Caution With Extracts (for PFS/PSSD/PAS):
Among individuals who already have PFS/PSSD/PAS, licorice is occasionally mentioned as preceding symptom flares, with concern highest around supplements and concentrated extracts rather than small culinary exposures. Reports that describe worsening often emphasize anxiety/sleep disruption, fatigue, emotional symptoms, and sexual symptoms, alongside the practical concern that licorice can also affect blood pressure and potassium in susceptible situations. While many reports describe improvement after stopping, a smaller number describe more prolonged destabilization, which contributes to a “better safe than sorry” stance during stabilization.
For individuals without these conditions, licorice is widely consumed in foods and teas, but medical literature still recognizes pseudoaldosteronism risk with higher or prolonged intake. Given the variability of formulations and individual sensitivity, dose awareness and avoiding concentrated products is commonly viewed as prudent even outside PFS/PSSD/PAS contexts.
Evidence basis: Mechanistic and clinical literature on pseudoaldosteronism and hormone effects; anecdotal reports (online forums, self-reports); no controlled studies examining PFS/PSSD/PAS-specific outcomes.