Licorice to boost cortisol

As licorice is a 'natural steroid' has anyone tried it to boost cortisol levels? 🤔

[seveneleven]

It's certainly used a lot in Chinese medicine for various energy deficiencies. I used licorice root before to help with low blood pressure and POTs, did help a bit with the general woozy fogginess. I've seen a Chinese herbalist the past year, and he always puts licorice root in the mix for me to help with the fatigue (with limited success given thyroid was limping along untreated 😅). As long as you don't have any issues with high blood pressure (big contraindication), it shouldn't do any harm and might help give a bit of a boost. Ginseng is another one that's used sometimes for increasing yang/energy. Can take a licorice supplement, get tea bags, or even just get it loose to put in with other teas (lovely with peppermint!). Just need to be wary of not overdoing it (again because of BP).

[Imaaan in reply to seveneleven]

Let me piggyback on this and also say that it can reduce potassium levels. I read a case study a few yrs ago where an individual drank licorice tea several times a day . They ended up at the emergency room.

[seveneleven in reply to Imaaan]

Absolutely, thanks for remembering this. Best to have bloods to check whether potassium is already on the low side and tread carefully anyway. It may be a herb, but it's powerful stuff.

[Sama999 in reply to Imaaan]

Yes, got fierce leg cramps from eating Licorice. Took a while to work out the correlation

[Hidden in reply to Imaaan]

I remember reading an article about a man who died from eating a bag of licorice every day so I am Uber mindful that it can be a dangerous supplement. 😬

[arTistapple in reply to seveneleven]

I appreciate your info but I have found anything referred to as a ‘boost’ I immediately feel an antipathy towards. I have found after many years of experience, anything that ‘boosts’ must be paid for at some point by deep exhaustion and symptoms. Finally one runs on empty. Green tea, coffee, chocolate, in fact anything high in the likes of caffeine, never mind other sources of stimulants. Boosts are very seductive but just not worth it. I also feel suspicious about the word ‘support’ as it’s often used too but can mean similar.

[seveneleven in reply to arTistapple]

Yes, stimulants always come with a cost. It's important to distinguish though between things like caffeine and things like adaptogens (of which licorice is one) that support (sorry, for lack of a better word) the adrenal system - they don't stimulate or 'steal' cortisol and adrenaline but can help the HPA axis to recover, like adrenal cortex, if used correctly. I've had fatigue for 10 years, and I've definitely paid for using caffeine in the past before realising it just made things worse by using up reserves. So the 'boost' isn't a short-term 'hit' - you don't get a surge of energy, but over a period of time, some things can help with recovery (while you still rest and take care), just like supporting more effective thyroid function lessens the stress on the body.

[arTistapple in reply to seveneleven]

Thanks for getting back to me. I am shortly (I hope) going to attempt to ‘support’ my adrenals should the test come back showing up the necessary. I think it’s a minefield but I want to give myself the best chance. Honestly I wish the thyroid meds were the end of it all but as we all know on the forum, it’s not necessarily so and certainly not via medics. I find with vitamins and supplements it’s difficult to notice any difference and is hugely expensive …….. so far!

[seveneleven in reply to arTistapple]

I know, it's a minefield, isn't it. Like Witchinghour, my cortisol is on the floor, so I'm also trying to help things along. Finding cortex helpful, but it's not for everyone, and it's a long game either way - cortisol and thyroid are not fixed quickly 😑

[arTistapple in reply to seveneleven]

I hope when I finally get these results you (or someone like you) can offer some guidance!

[Hidden in reply to seveneleven]

That's really helpful. Thank you. My BP is always on the lower end of normal so I think I'll be ok in that regard.

[Imaaan]

I had high cortisol and used a formula that contained licorice and ashwagandha amongst other ingredients to lower my cortisol. Used that supplements for several yrs and loved it. The last 2 yrs I switched to DGL at a lower dose and take it with ashwagandha

[arTistapple in reply to Imaaan]

What is DGL Imaaan?

[Imaaan in reply to arTistapple]

Dgl is Deglycyrrhizinated licorice. It's had the properties that increases blood pressure caused by consuming regular licorice drastically reduced. It's really helpful when supplement brands mention the amount of glycryrrhizin in it. I've been using Nature's Way 1% glycryrrhizin.

Bonus of dgl besides helping with adrenals is that it helps heal the stomach lining and also helps with reflux and menopause symptoms

[arTistapple in reply to Imaaan]

Mmm right I already have HBP so I would be very wary. But I will check it out. Thank you.

[Imaaan in reply to arTistapple]

In that case, it's better to be safe than sorry .

[humanbean]

I took licorice before I knew I had high cortisol levels, rather than low. It made my blood pressure rise quite dramatically. Apparently it can lower potassium an alarming amount as well.

There is a type of licorice called DGL licorice which is the one you should buy if you decide to try it because it allegedly causes fewer side effects - but I got raised blood pressure despite buying DGL.

DGL stands for "Deglycyrrhizinated", which means that it has had the glycyrrhizin removed to reduce possible side effects. But I've never found any recommendations for how careful that removal has to be, so I have no idea if 90% is removed, or 95%, or 99.999%. I don't think there are any regulations on what licorice can be described as being DGL.

Not related to cortisol but this might be of interest :

healthline.com/health/diges...

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

wtamu.edu/~cbaird/sq/2013/0...

[Imaaan in reply to humanbean]

Just finished replying about potassium and just saw yours. Great minds think alike

[Zephyrbear in reply to Imaaan]

To which the teenager in me would reply

‘Fools seldom differ…’ 😄

[Imaaan in reply to Zephyrbear]

Loool

[FoggyThinker in reply to humanbean]

I don't think DGL licorice is effective for raising cortisol though? I take it as my cortisol tends to run low and really notice if I don't, but am concerned about the effects on potassium...

[humanbean in reply to FoggyThinker]

I don't know if licorice is effective for raising cortisol. I was just warning about the possible side effects if Witchinghour decided to try it.

[FoggyThinker in reply to humanbean]

Thanks for explaining humanbean trying to find out more about adrenals seems even harder than thyroid!

[humanbean in reply to FoggyThinker]

I have some links on it :

ibrainandbody.com/the-stres...

paulrobinsonthyroid.com/sym...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conge...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Late_...

tpauk.com/main/article/test...

drlamcoaching.com/

It is worth having a poke around in the above link, even though it is a commercial website selling someone's services.

drlamcoaching.com/blog/adre...

drlamcoaching.com/adrenal-f...

If you have some saliva cortisol results you might find this thread I wrote on interpreting another member's results of some interest:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

And a document on how to interpret saliva cortisol results:

functionalmedicine.net/pdf/...

What might be affecting cortisol, and thus affect test results - although neither link tells you whether the substances the authors listed actually lower or raise cortisol. Research would be needed on each substance of interest in the lists - and note there is a lot of overlap between the lists:

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

rt3-adrenals.org/does_it_af...

People often mention taking adaptogens. But this is something to be cautious about because experiences of them vary a lot:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

I thought this link had some interesting information. It is linked to a private test, but I am not recommending the test, only the information:

mayocliniclabs.com/test-cat...

Info from the NHS on cortisol testing:

exeterlaboratory.com/test/c...

I've never done what is suggested in this link, but some people have found it helpful:

drrind.com/metabolic-temper...

Manufacturer's blurb on adrenal supplements:

procepts.co.uk/adrenavive-m...

the-natural-choice.co.uk/do...

Both the above links refer to the same products.

restartmed.com/adrenal-glan...

Info on high DHEA:

restartmed.com/high-dhea-le...

[FoggyThinker in reply to humanbean]

HUGE thank you for all the links, I will start to work my way through them. Very much appreciated

[Gustie88 in reply to humanbean]

Licorice slows the breakdown of cortisol, it doesn't actually raise it though it feels better because what little cortisol you may have stays around longer. You are absolutely correct to warn of possible side effects as trying licorice raised my aldosterone levels and brought potassium levels dangerously low.

[Thyroidconfusion]

Why would you want to increase levels of cortisol in your body? it is a stress (fight or flight) response from the body that not only affects blood pressure but many other hormones such as insulin (sensitivity and production). It is also a major negative factor for Thyroid suffers.

[TiggerMe in reply to Thyroidconfusion]

You need a certain amount of cortisol to facilitate a good uptake of thyroid hormones, it isn't about getting it above range but in-range much like all the other things we are trying to balance 🤗

Witchinghour like myself have below range cortisol at least some of the day

[Thyroidconfusion in reply to TiggerMe]

Thanks for the response. Helpful for me to understand as we struggle to resolve thyroid issues.

[Hidden in reply to Thyroidconfusion]

Yes, I do know what cortisol is, thank you.

Having too little hormone cause problems. I have too little cortisol. It is causing problems.

[Thyroidconfusion in reply to Hidden]

Having received some positive responses I now understand more myself.

[FoggyThinker in reply to Thyroidconfusion]

To add to the above, if cortisol's too low, it has a major effect on energy & ability to wake up in the morning, among other things. Mine went really low and I felt like a zombie, really scary til I figured out and resolved the cause!

[mstp in reply to FoggyThinker]

How did you resolve the problem? I was on DGL Liquorice for about six years (one a day) until my local store stopped selling the brand I had always taken. I stopped taking it a few months ago and have only just realised that over the past couple of months I havent been feeling quite right so am wondering if it could be to do with not taking it. I think I had taken it for so long I had almost forgotten why I was taking it so I wasnt too worried about stopping it! Perhaps I should have been more concerned.

[FoggyThinker in reply to mstp]

I'd suspected my adrenal activity had been low for a while (now I realise that my long term untreated underactive thyroid probably caused this) but starting HRT seemed to make it worse - a bit worse on the synthetic patches then much worse when, on the advice of a nutritionist, I switched to utrogestan (bio-identical progesterone) and at the same time stopped all my supplements including licorice. So fixing it was fairly easy once I had the lightbulb moment: stop the HRT, switch to a better multi-b vitamin recommended here, restart licorice but with breaks, and also added vitamin C.

I think it's well-worth reading all of this post as liquorice potentially has risks, can't remember if you've replied to posters who mentioned potassium and increased blood pressure?

Interesting that you were finding DGL liquorice helpful, I thought I'd read it needed to be non-DGL (which is what I was taking) but maybe that isn't the case which would be useful as I believe the side effects are less with DGL.

[Gustie88]

Yes, I have tried it. It helped my cortisol levels, but also boosted aldosterone significantly. Ended up with low potassium because of this.

[FoggyThinker in reply to Gustie88]

Interesting - do you have any suggested reading to learn more about adrenals? I've found a couple of books but struggled to find something detailed and reliable. Hope you're well now!

[Gustie88 in reply to FoggyThinker]

Hi Foggy- I don't have any particular readings about adrenals, I've just googled things about the adrenal hormones extensively. Complicated stuff at times. I still have lowish cortisol and below range DHEA and don't feel terrible, but not great either. Working through particular enzymes, Licorice just slows the breakdown of cortisol, it doesn't actually raise it. The increase in aldosterone was noticeable and the resultant low potassium levels were dangerous. Use with caution if you decide to go down that route. Good Luck!

[FoggyThinker in reply to Gustie88]

Thanks Gustie88 I've been taking it for ~10 years I think and didn't realise til now the potential issues! But no ill effects I know of for me. I wonder if it depends on your particular combination of causes and conditions or there's some other counterbalance?

[Hidden in reply to FoggyThinker]

rt3-adrenals.org/aldosteron...

[Hidden]

It has aldosterone-like effects, can be very good if you have cortisol and aldosterone issues. Watch out for high blood pressure and low potassium.

rt3-adrenals.org/aldosteron...