Is Licorice Root Tea Good for Bloating?

Partly: licorice root tea may feel soothing when bloating accompanies indigestion because the warm liquid can be comforting, but it has no proven gas-relieving effect.

Is licorice root tea a good choice for bloating?

Licorice root tea is not a proven treatment for bloating. The available clinical evidence involves a mixture of herbal extracts, not licorice root tea on its own.

Bloating can have different causes, including swallowed air, constipation and digestive conditions. A comfortable drink may be pleasant, but finding and addressing the cause matters more than choosing a particular tea.

If you are considering other options, see the best drinks for bloating. No drink is guaranteed to relieve every cause of bloating.

How might licorice root tea affect bloating?

Bloating is a feeling of fullness or pressure in the abdomen. It can occur with indigestion, but it does not always mean there is too much gas. A warm drink may feel comforting, though that is different from showing that licorice root tea removes gas or treats its cause.

Licorice root contains compounds that may affect the body, but researchers have not established a mechanism by which licorice root tea reliably relieves bloating. The amount of those compounds in a brewed tea can also vary between products.

One compound, glycyrrhizin, can affect how the body regulates salt and water. That effect is a safety concern, not evidence that licorice root tea helps digestion: it can contribute to fluid retention, high blood pressure and low potassium.

What does the evidence say about licorice root and bloating?

In a 2004 randomized, placebo-controlled trial, 120 patients with functional dyspepsia received treatments that included a multi-herb preparation or a placebo. Functional dyspepsia involves persistent or recurring upper-abdominal symptoms, which can include uncomfortable fullness.

The herbal preparation contained licorice root alongside bitter candy tuft, matricaria flower, peppermint leaves, caraway and lemon balm. After the first treatment period, the overall gastrointestinal symptom score improved more with the herbal preparation than with placebo.

That result is encouraging for the combination, but it does not establish that licorice root was responsible. The trial did not test licorice root tea by itself, and an improvement in an overall symptom score does not prove that the tea relieves bloating specifically. Extract preparations and brewed tea can also differ in their composition.

How can you use licorice root tea safely?

If you are a healthy adult and want to try licorice root tea for comfort, use a commercially packaged product and follow its preparation instructions. Treat it as an optional drink, not as a remedy with a proven dose or reliable effect on bloating.

Check the ingredients: a licorice-flavored product may not contain licorice root, and a herbal blend may contain several ingredients. Glycyrrhizin content can vary and may not be stated, so following the package directions does not guarantee that a product is safe for everyone.

Avoid using licorice root tea regularly in the hope of getting more relief. There is no established effective amount or treatment schedule for bloating, and repeated exposure to glycyrrhizin can increase the risk of adverse effects.

If the tea makes you feel worse, stop using it. Rather than continuing to experiment with it, speak with a clinician if bloating keeps coming back or does not improve.

Who should avoid licorice root tea, and when should you see a doctor?

Avoid licorice root tea unless a clinician advises otherwise if you have high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease or low potassium. Glycyrrhizin can worsen fluid retention and lower potassium, potentially causing muscle weakness or an abnormal heart rhythm.

Ask a clinician before using it if you take a diuretic, blood pressure medicine, digoxin or a corticosteroid. Licorice root can interact with these medicines or make their effects harder to manage; do not stop a prescribed medicine to drink the tea.

Avoid licorice root tea during pregnancy, and ask a clinician before using it while breastfeeding or giving it to a child. Do not assume a product labeled deglycyrrhizinated licorice root is proven to relieve bloating or is automatically suitable for you.

See a clinician for persistent or recurring bloating, particularly if it occurs with unexplained weight loss. Seek urgent medical help for severe abdominal pain, vomiting with an inability to pass stool or gas, blood in the stool, fainting, severe muscle weakness or an irregular heartbeat.