Is there any better alternative for licorice?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am a 32-year-old single male. In the past, I have experimented with using non-deglycyrrhizinated licorice to reduce my libido and make single life more manageable. I have hereditary low blood pressure so that the side effect was not an issue for me. However, after a few days of use, the licorice causes me to develop muscle aches all over my body. Which I assume are due to the reduced potassium levels from the licorice. Is there a better alternative to the licorice? Or a way to prevent the loss of potassium so I can use it for more than a few days at a time? No matter what I ate, (bananas, avocados, apricots), it did not seem to be enough.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com. I can understand your concern. Non-deglycyrrhizinated licorice contains Glycyrrhizinwhich has some side-effects like hypertension, hypokalaemia, reduces testosterone, edema, etc., as you mentioned well. Muscle cramps and aches are most probably due to hypokalemia. To fulfill the requirements of potassium you can take a banana, avocado, orange, lemon, apricots, etc. An alternative to non-deglycyrrhizinated licorice, you can take mint, flex seed, popcorn and soda. They normally reduce the testosterone level and make men libido.