Why I hate licorice

[kate_schaefer]

There are certain things we learn in inconvenient ways.

I went to Wiscon last month. I had a lovely time. I went home with a cold, not surprising after spending a few days in close proximity to about a thousand people. I rested and pushed fluids, box of Kleenex at one side, cup of licorice tea at the other. My cold lasted about two weeks; I am a delicate flower with a sluggardly immune system, so it takes me awhile to kick out the last bit of virus.

I drank lots of licorice tea to soothe my mildly sore throat, as recommended by several doctors over many years.

I did not like licorice tea when I first encountered it. I've never liked licorice candy, nor have I cared for the flavors of anise or stevia or fennel, all of which are way too reminiscent of licorice for me. I did not like the bits of bark floating in the tea. I hated the subtly slimy texture of the tea even though I knew that that slimy texture and its throat-coating properties were precisely the reasons doctors recommend licorice tea. I mixed it with peppermint tea to make it tolerable, and I drank it.

One can get used to almost anything with practice. When I married Glenn, I hated Rachmaninoff, but after years of listening to Rachmaninoff, I have to admit that his music is pretty darn good. Fortunately, Glenn has always agreed with me about Mahler, so I am in no danger of developing a taste for Mahler. Licorice, unlike Rachmaninoff and just like Mahler, is revolting.

Then again, what's so bad about it? It's sweet. It blends well with peppermint. It makes the sore throat less sore. It's natural and mild. It comes from plants. It has cute little woody bits floating in it. It doesn't taste that bad. In fact, it's pretty good! I'll have another cup. And another. Let's brew up some more! Let's make all the fluid we're pushing be licorice tea! Today, tomorrow, two weeks of tea!

Gosh, why are my legs swollen up and hard like weird flesh barkless logs? And why does my face look like a pufferfish about to explode? And why do I weigh ten pounds more than I did just two weeks ago?

My Google-fu is mighty, so I have a probable answer pert quick. I may never drink licorice tea again. I'll check with my doctor to make sure there isn't some other cause that the licorice exacerbated.

I was charmed to find the phrases "licorice binge" and "licorice abuse" on the NIH website. Little did I realize that when I became a hardened drug abuser, licorice would be the abused drug.

I'll put my feet up now. Way up.
 

Comments

[alces2.livejournal.com]

I never heard of licorice causing your symptoms but I suppose it is possible. Actually I'm growing it in my yard. Unfortunately I think it is starting to spread. Maybe I should actually dig up a root or two.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I never heard of this before, either. Apparently licorice in moderation is fine, unless you already have edema or heart problems or (unlikely for either of us) are pregnant.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

I'm wild about licorice, myself. Good licorice, not the plastic stuff or the red crud. Still, I know exactly what Ed Bluestone meant when he said "Licorice is the liver of candy."

Heh. I love liver, too.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I like liver, too. In moderation. In moderation with bacon.

[kip-w.livejournal.com]

Oh, yeah. And fried onions.

My only complaint with liver is that whoever makes it manages to fix it so that whatever my last bite is, it's the piece with a rubber band in it.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

You can eat my share of the fried onions. I know what you mean about the rubber band; I don't know how to avoid that effect.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I like licorice in some candy, but I've never cared for licorice tea. It tastes nasty to me, so I avoid it. I treat colds and flu with regular ol' black tea, doctored up with honey and maybe a splash or two of bourbon in the evenings. A glass of port of an evening is also helpful to throat and congestion, for me. So I had never experienced the addictive effects you describe. Geez, Louise.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I may have exaggerated the addictive effects ever so slightly.

I predict a return to hot lemonade with honey and whiskey for my future colds.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Fans? Exaggerate? For effect? UN-possible.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Well, hardly ever.

[cathshaffer.livejournal.com]

Wait, what?? Licorice makes you swell? Does it make you high, too? How does one abuse it?

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

1) Yes.

2) No.

3) With a whip (come on, that was too easy).

[cathshaffer.livejournal.com]

LOL. If I drank coffee, I'd be spewing it from my nose right now.

[vondanmcintyre.livejournal.com]

I knew there must be some reason for the existence of licorice whips.

V.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Oh, no, it's her ineffable Kate-ness that makes her Swell.

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

I wondered where the licorice smell came from at the party.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

That's what licorice smells like? Dude, you need a basic herbal education with pointers and examples and exercises for the student.

[replyhazy.livejournal.com]

Ooooooooooooooog.

Feel better soon.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Oddly, I feel fine. Must...not...say... oh, what the hell. I feel swell.

[replyhazy.livejournal.com]

*falls off chair*

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Thank you, thank you, ladies and germs.

Ah-ha!

[librarygrrl]

See, I was right to spurn licorice. I shall continue to spurn it. Bleh, ptooey!

Of course, I vaguely recall a licorice abuse incident from my very young days. My grandmother used to keep a candy dish of black licorice jelly beans out around Easter time. I don't remember exactly what happened, but I imagine I must have made myself sick to my stomach. I have hated licorice for nearly as long as I can remember, and if it weren't my own spotty memory, wouldn't believe that I ever liked it!

Hope you are feeling much better!

Re: Ah-ha!

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

I have never liked licorice much, either, though I can like some anise cookies just fine. Candy or tea? Not for me. I don't have problems with the black jelly beans, though, as I have friends who will eat them. (Jelly bean compatibility can be so important!)

Mmmm, whiskey and lemon. Feel better soon, Kate.

Re: Ah-ha!

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Thanks. Must lay in supply of whiskey that's compatible with lemon juice.

I could have sworn we were in the same city two weeks ago, but I didn't ever notice that we were in the same room. We may well have been on Sunday night, but so were about 700 other people.

Re: Ah-ha!

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Yes, we were at the big party with almost 1000 of our closest friends, but alas you were among the folks I didn't even see you across the hall. I was doing my attending-part-days (plus one day off to sleep) thing, but even staying awake 20 hours a day doesn't guarantee seeing everyone....

Re: Ah-ha!

[bibliofile.livejournal.com]

Sorry, dunno about whiskey w/lemon -- short term memory combined two different things you mentioned, above.

Re: Ah-ha!

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Spurn away! I'll be right there with you, co-spurning.

Thanks. And I hope you feel much better as well. By now, you should be all recovered, yes?

Re: Ah-ha!

[librarygrrl]

*pauses to think a moment* Yes, I believe I do. I went from being tired from being sick to being tired from excessive yard work, and then a sick dog waking me up in the night, so I had to think about it for a moment... *laugh*

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

Yeppers. Licorice and blood pressure. It also impacts adrenal glands, in a positive way and protects your entire GI tract, but it's actually pretty strong medicine.

If you're going to have more than a little licorice, get the kind that has the glycorr-whatsis acid removed. That removes the blood pressure effect.

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

PS--check your blood pressure, if you haven't already. It can raise blood pressure significantly--sometimes with long-term effects.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my doctor checked the blood pressure first thing, and then she ordered a full panel of tests to make sure the liver and kidneys and what-not are all functional. She says the licorice theory may have merit, and my blood pressure wasn't bad (though higher than it usually is), but she wants to rule out all the scary stuff before accepting the innocent explanation. She did cheerfully say that I looked good enough that she wasn't sending me to the ER, but I'd better keep putting my feet up for the next few days.

[singingnettle.livejournal.com]

I'm glad to hear that she's checking further. You don't want to overlook something dangerous that isn't about the licorice, or miss an underlying reason why the licorice might have affected you so strongly.

[vgqn.livejournal.com]

What I dislike about teas with licorice root (as opposed to other licorice/anise flavorings) is the lingering, sweet aftertaste. Not that it's a bad aftertaste. On first sip, I always think, "Oh yes, how interesting." But by the end of the cup, I'm sick of it.

Speaking of colds and licorice, it always surprised me that Nyquil was licorice-flavored, given how strongly so many people dislike licorice. Although a sweetie of mine once remarked that he knew he needed to take Nyquil when the taste didn't bother him at all. And conversely, that when the taste bothered him again, he was well enough to stop taking it.

I'm a fan of the hot water & honey cure, possibly with a little rum, but never with lemon.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Nyquil is licorice-flavored? Huh. I always thought it was artificial- medicine-flavored. That is, it tasted like itself to me, its own yucky flavor that didn't resemble anything in the natural world that I could identify, a taste that, yes, was unpleasant enough that I would never want to drink it if I wasn't sick. Maybe that was what they had in mind when they concocted the stuff.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

I like licorice, but not licorice flavor, so I never knew. I hope you, er, deflate soon.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I depend on a rapid transition to normalcy, where "rapid" may have to have an elastic definition.

[lcohen]

yikes! i hope you recover soon!

i loathe licorice, anise, fennel--the whole category. i think maybe i'll take the hint and not try to get over it ;-) .

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I'm getting better. It's slower than I would like, but it's happening.

[cassiealexander.livejournal.com]

Oy! I didn't know it was that serious, Kate! Please get better, fast!

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I am getting better. My recliner has had more use in the past two days than it's seen in months. I weigh 1.5 less today than I did yesterday, so I believe the excess water is gradually being released.

My kidneys; I think I'll keep them.

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

It looks like the underlying thing that made the licorice have such a strong effect was borderline low thryoid. I have lived on the just-live-with-it side of that border my whole life, but I've apparently moved over to the get-it-treated side some time in the past two years, since the last time I had blood work.

I didn't realize how serious this whole thing could be until my doctor sent me off for a chest X-ray. The things she ruled out were a whole shitload of scary possibilities and failing organs; I had just thought it was inconvenient and uncomfortable, with a side order of embarrassment. I guess I'm just as glad I wasn't thinking I could be that ill all this time, while also being glad that I went to the doctor promptly.

And my blood sugar and cholesterol are just fine.

[cassiealexander.livejournal.com]

Ooooh -- I'm glad they caught the thyroid thing. Based on my experience with that, it might be awhile till they find the right dose for you, but it's worth getting through.

And yeah, when I searched under licorice edema i saw pulmonary edema, which is no good. I'm glad you're getting better though!