Licorice and Turmeric: The Traditional Soothing, Anti-Inflammatory Duo

Licorice and turmeric are two pillars of the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia already covered separately on this site, but their pairing deserves its own article: it illustrates well the Ayurvedic principle of combining plants with complementary properties rather than relying on a single "superfood." Licorice softens and extends turmeric's action, while bringing its own digestive and throat-soothing virtues.

As with boswellia and turmeric, already published, this combination rests on solid traditional logic, but it hasn't been the subject of a clinical trial testing the duo itself specifically: the available scientific data covers each plant separately.

Why combine licorice and turmeric?

Turmeric is hot, peppery and mildly drying in excess: taken alone at a high dose, it can irritate a sensitive stomach, especially in Pitta profiles. Licorice, by contrast, is mild, sweet and cooling in Ayurvedic tradition: it tempers turmeric's peppery edge while bringing its own soothing effect on the digestive and respiratory mucosa. The combination is especially used in winter teas, for the throat, or in a digestive blend after a heavy meal.

What tradition says about each plant

Licorice has a well-documented therapeutic history in Europe that largely echoes its Ayurvedic use: the historical review by Fiore, Eisenhut, Ragazzi and colleagues, published in 2005 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology (vol. 99, no. 3, p. 317-324), traces licorice's use since antiquity to soothe the digestive and respiratory tract, across medical traditions as varied as ancient Egypt, Greece, China and India (see the study on Google Scholar). This convergence of independent traditions supports the age and consistency of licorice's use, without validating its specific pairing with turmeric, which remains a matter of tradition rather than a clinically studied protocol.

Plant	Role in the duo	Traditional nature
Turmeric	Anti-inflammatory action, strong color and taste	Hot, peppery, drying in excess
Licorice	Softens the taste, soothes throat and stomach	Mild, sweet, cooling

How to prepare the duo at home

• Tea: half a teaspoon of dried licorice root and a pinch of turmeric powder steeped 8 to 10 minutes in hot water, as a rough guide, for a course of a few weeks at most;
• Warm milk: a pinch of turmeric in warm milk with a little licorice powder in place of sugar, in the evening;
• Digestive blend: paired with cumin and ginger in a digestive spice blend after a heavy meal.

The non-negotiable precaution around licorice

Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, a substance that, with prolonged use or a high dose, can cause water retention, elevated blood pressure and lowered blood potassium (pseudo-hyperaldosteronism). This combination is therefore strongly discouraged for people with hypertension or heart or kidney conditions, and should be limited in duration for everyone (a few weeks at most, without prolonged daily use). Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), available at pharmacies or specialty stores, is an alternative for anyone wanting its soothing digestive effect without this risk.

Who should avoid this duo?

Beyond hypertension, licorice is discouraged during pregnancy (some data suggest a possible link with preterm birth at high intake) and for people on diuretic, corticosteroid or anticoagulant treatment, due to possible interactions. Turmeric, for its part, should be stopped before scheduled surgery because of its effect on blood clotting. When in doubt, medical or pharmacist advice remains your best protection.

Precautions

This combination hasn't been the subject of a dedicated clinical trial: the benefits described rest on tradition and on data available for each plant separately. It doesn't replace any treatment and isn't suitable for everyone, particularly with hypertension. Ask a health professional before a course, especially if you're on medication, pregnant or breastfeeding, and see our safety and precautions guide.