5. Side Effects Of Licorice Consumption During Pregnancy
To ensure the safety of both mother and baby, it’s always best to seek medical advice and consult with a maternal-fetal medicine specialist before consuming licorice in any form during pregnancy. Recent studies reveal the health risks and contraindications associated with licorice root and pregnancy can lead to the following health complications:
6. A high dose of licorice extract during pregnancy may cause a miscarriage or a preterm delivery.
A study in the American Journal of Epidemiology links high licorice consumption to a shorter gestation period. Licorice can double the risk of premature birth (4).
Experts from Edinburgh and Helsinki universities state that the consumption of licorice root during pregnancy can impair the placenta. The compound glycyrrhizin could allow the mother’s glucocorticoids or stress hormones, such as cortisol, to reach the baby and adversely affect the fetal brain development.. Hence, it can lower the intelligence levels and increase the behavioral problems in the child.