# Is black licorice bad for you? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2012, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403 "2012-08-13T20:09:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403/21 "2012-08-16T14:31:27Z")
But it is higher on the ingredient list than is licorice in those candies. **CP** ’s link still seems the authoritative one. Lots of individual variability to the adverse effects with the most sensitive showing adverse effects at regular daily intake of “50 g liquorice sweets (assuming a content of 0.2% glycyrrhizic acid)”; 4X that effects most people. Less glycyrrhizic acid content per gram, more candy tolerated by more people. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403/22 "2012-08-16T15:01:22Z")
> [@Zabali\_Clawbane](#): > > Some licorice uses anise as flavoring. > [@Coustralee](#): > > excess consumption may have a laxative effect. Well, of course something called “anise” would have a laxative effect. ETA: It’s pronounced with a long “a”, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Toxylon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f05b48/32.png) [@Toxylon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxylon)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403/23 "2012-08-16T15:31:56Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > But it is higher on the ingredient list than is licorice in those candies. [But even extremely ammonium chloride-y salty licorice candy like I had yesterday is 91 % sugar](http://www.rainbow.fi/tuotteet/rainbow/elintarvikkeet/makeiset/rainbow-salmiakki-powermix-150-g), just like other hard candy. The fact that ammonium chloride beats licorice doesn’t mean much. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403/24 "2012-08-16T16:52:06Z")
Which is the point … that that candy has pretty little licorice root in it and the assertion that your eating 5 oz. of regularly somehow shows how safe regular large consumption of real licorice is is not such a strong point. What you eat is a lot of sugar with some ammonium chloride to give it a kick and a hint of licorice extract … more real licorice than Twizzler but perhaps not so much so. ---
**Author:** ![Learjeff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/94ad74/32.png) [@Learjeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Learjeff)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403/25 "2012-08-16T20:54:42Z")
If you want more licorice than the recommended limit, buy Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL). It’s sold in health stores. For many, it’s fairly effective as a treatment for acid reflux, if one’s sweetie can stand the taste and your blackening teeth. ---
**Author:** ![applebetty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4af34b/32.png) [@applebetty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/applebetty)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403/26 "2012-08-16T23:08:26Z")
I’m reminded that a few years back I ordered some organic licorice sticks from an online herb and spice company. I eagerly awaited the arrival of my delicious licorice, but I apparently did not look too closely at the picture or description. I received a bundle of sticks. I was shocked until I realized they smelled of licorice and were actually dried licorice root. I made some fine candy after I finished laughing at myself. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-black-licorice-bad-for-you/631403.md?page=1)