Licorice (tea)
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

free skin care · Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:28 am

Hi there. I have read that licorice is a safe natural ingredient to lighten skin. But I was wondering licorice extract is from a tea right?! so will drinking this tea also help against those damn Mad

pigments spots ;)Tia. Wink

free skin care · Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:59 am

Licorice is a root, and you can brew tea on the root.

The concentration of licorice in the tea would be far to weak to have any lightening effect on the skin when taken internally.

Some people take powdered licorice as a diet supplement, but I believe you need to apply topicals in order to lighten the skin. Perhaps you can use licorice root powder in a DIY potion.

free skin care · Tue Jun 10, 2008 7:07 am

Septembergirl wrote:

Licorice is a root, and you can brew tea on the root.

The concentration of licorice in the tea would be far to weak to have any lightening effect on the skin when taken internally.

Some people take powdered licorice as a diet supplement, but I believe you need to apply topicals in order to lighten the skin. Perhaps you can use licorice root powder in a DIY potion.

Oh ok thanks for the explanation now I understand. Then I gues I will just buy a topical w/ this ingredient.

free skin care · Tue Jun 10, 2008 3:37 pm

it is a specific compound in licorice that has the skin lightening properties, so using powdered licorice on the skin will probably not work or work very slowly. also drinking licorice for longer than 6 weeks is not recommended because it depletes potassium levels.

free skin care · Tue Jun 10, 2008 4:32 pm

miranets wrote:

also drinking licorice for longer than 6 weeks is not recommended because it depletes potassium levels.

Wooow! I didn't know that! I recently discovered licorice tea (licorice and spice - yum!!

) and I've bee drinking it daily. Like, 4-5 cups a day Anxious

.
So, are you saying this isn't healthy?
Thx! R. Smile

free skin care · Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:24 pm

You want this form of licorice for skin lightening:

Glycyrrhiza glabra (licorice root). You can find it in some skin care products or go to the vitamin/supplement section at a health foods store (Whole Foods) and buy it in extract form (highly concentrated)and mix it into your moisturizer.

free skin care · Wed Jun 11, 2008 11:50 pm

rubby wrote:

miranets wrote:

also drinking licorice for longer than 6 weeks is not recommended because it depletes potassium levels.

Wooow! I didn't know that! I recently discovered licorice tea (licorice and spice - yum!!

) and I've bee drinking it daily. Like, 4-5 cups a day Anxious

. So, are you saying this isn't healthy? Thx! R. Smile

I didn't know about the depleting potassium but do know that licorice can raise blood pressure. So, I wouldn't drink or eat a lot of licorice if I already had high blood pressure.

Are you drinking the delicious Stash licorice tea?

free skin care · Thu Jun 12, 2008 1:47 am

I read in a medical journal that someone who ate a pack of those Twizzlers or whatever they are called, ended up in a coma for a while because the trace licorice compounds used for flavouring affected his heart. I think certain natural movements have purported that daily low dosage supplementing does not cause any harm, but that is also very dependent on one's current health condition.

There are so many factors that will determine how licorice tea affects you, the quality of the root and how long you infuse for etc... I used to drink one strong cup every other day for several weeks and stop for at least a month. I also try to balance my intake of minerals to offset any depletion.

free skin care · Thu Jun 26, 2008 6:05 am

lunarmm wrote:

rubby wrote:

miranets wrote:

also drinking licorice for longer than 6 weeks is not recommended because it depletes potassium levels.

Wooow! I didn't know that! I recently discovered licorice tea (licorice and spice - yum!!

) and I've bee drinking it daily. Like, 4-5 cups a day Anxious

. So, are you saying this isn't healthy? Thx! R. Smile

I didn't know about the depleting potassium but do know that licorice can raise blood pressure. So, I wouldn't drink or eat a lot of licorice if I already had high blood pressure.

Are you drinking the delicious Stash licorice tea?

Yes, I am drinking the Stash Licorice tea Very Happy

.

I am bumping this thread up as I would like to discuss this a bit further (if there is anyone interested Question

).

I recently (about a week ago) started breaking out like crazy and I have no clue as to what could have caused this major breakout (also, the pimples I'm getting look different from my "regular" breakouts). I started new skin line about 5 weeks ago, but this would be a bit of a late reaction, I think. Also, my diet has not be exactly perfect lately, but I've gone through phases like that before and never had this kind of breakouts show up.
I've been desperately trying to figure out what could have caused my skin problems when I remembered that about 4-5 weeks ago I started drinking licorice tea. I significantly reduced the amount of this tea I've been drinking since reading this thread (about 10 days or so ago), but I still have a cup a day or every other day.
Could the licorice overload have caused my skin problems? Any comments or suggestions would be truly appreciated!
Thx, R. Smile

free skin care · Fri Jun 27, 2008 9:36 am

I've tried licquorice tea, it is delicious and naturally sweet however it made my heart go ten to the dozen especially if I drank it close to going to bed. It was like my heart was galloping towards the edge of a precipice and then it would stop for a second suddenly. Not very enjoyable. This happens if I take too much vitamin E too. As far as I know I'm in good health, perhaps I should have my blood pressure checked Confused

It's supposed to be good for adrenal function and soothes the nerves. The natural eating liquorice with molasses is good for anaemia. I've read that it should be avoided whilst experiencing PMT. Of course that's exactly when I crave it Laughing

When I eat it, especially these highly addictive morsels, I don't get any heart problem.
I suppose the tea must be more concentrated.

http://www.lakeland.co.uk/australian-soft-eating-liquorice/F/keyword/liqourice/product/3984_10574_9156

Yum.

free skin care · Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:16 pm

Can anyone suggest any ratios of licorice root to use in my moisturizer or skin serum (for lightening)? Thanks.

free skin care · Thu Jul 01, 2010 4:25 pm

TooInvolved wrote:

Can anyone suggest any ratios of licorice root to use in my moisturizer or skin serum (for lightening)? Thanks.

I know the recommended concentration for the extract sold at DIY skin care sites is 2% so you can figure from there depending on the size of serum or cream you are adding it to. Smile

free skin care · Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:50 pm

DarkMoon wrote:

TooInvolved wrote:

Can anyone suggest any ratios of licorice root to use in my moisturizer or skin serum (for lightening)? Thanks.

I know the recommended concentration for the extract sold at DIY skin care sites is 2% so you can figure from there depending on the size of serum or cream you are adding it to. Smile

It is about .63 ml/cc to each ounce according to my calculations so 1 small drop per oz. is about as close as we can get without lab equipment.

Automatic Message

If this is your first visit to the EDS Forums please take the time to register. Registration is required for you to post on the forums. Registration will also give you the ability to track messages of interest, send private messages to other users, participate in Gift Certificates draws and enjoy automatic discounts for shopping at our online store. Registration is free and takes just a few seconds to complete.

Click Here to join our community.

If you are already a registered member on the forums, please login to gain full access to the site.