(15-11-2012, 12:41 AM)jiberish Wrote: I didn't expect a candy like product to have such negative effects. But I will quote what I read so you can make your own decision.
"A combination of Paeonia and Liquorice has been used in Chinese and Japanese traditional medicine and have been shown to significantly decrease testosterone in women with defined PCOS and in those described as infertile and without menstrual periods or with erratic menses. Paeonia and liquorice has also been used to reduce elevated prolactin levels(11)."
"Peppermint or spearmint tea has previously been shown to have anti-androgenic effects in rats, and in a small study of 21 women with excessive hair growth (12 of who had PCOS), drinking 2 cups of spearmint tea daily in the first phase of the menstrual cycle (day 1 to day 14 , starting with first day of period) resulted in a decrease in free testosterone and an increase in FSH, LH and oestradiol levels(13). These beneficial testosterone reducing and active oestradiol increasing effects would be important during the first half of the menstrual cycle and spearmint or peppermint tea could be taken 3 times daily, steeped for 10 minutes covered with a saucer to prevent loss of essential oils."
Okay. PCOS is one of those conditions in which a woman could use paeonia, yes. I still wouldn't advise the licorice. It's just too risky.
Yes it has a dramatic effect on androgens. It also has a dramatic effect on estrogens, progesterone, and aldosterone and the corticosteroids. It's essentially taking a sledgehammer to your hormonal synthesis pathway and destroying everything.
I guess I could understand that approach somewhat for some PCOS sufferers, because sometimes that sledgehammer may actually be the only way to go. But honestly... I think there's better. Always.
OP didn't say she had PCOS though.
BTW... There's a difference between licorice as a candy and licorice as a medicine. The concentrations of the "sledgehammer" glycyrrhizic acid in the candy range between nothing and almost nothing. The concentrations of the sledgehammer in the medicinal herbs... Massive.
Buuuuuut...... It is still possible to OD on the candy as well and if you'd like I could link you an article in a medical journal about a guy who ended up in a coma at home and then dying in the hospital from a licorice OD.
It's possible to control the effects and "rebuild" after taking the sledgehammer to everything, but it's very expensive, very difficult, and if you miss ANY doses of ANYTHING or screw up and accidentally throw your sodium through the roof or drop the floor out from under your potassium... or... Yeah. Just please. No one mess with licorice. Except for very very short term use. MAYBE a month at most. Short bursts of a few days preferred.
Some of the "short term" benefits of licorice is that it's a laxative, and it's a diuretic... But please, use it for those purposes, NOT as a long-term anti-androgen.
BTW BTW... You might notice shopping for licorice that a lot of what you find anymore is "DGL" licorice. This licorice is useless for the "sledgehammer" effect, it won't decrease testosterone, it also won't decrease aldosterone, increase cortisol, decrease estrogen, decrease DHEAS, decrease androsteniodone, increase progesterone.... It has as much of the glycyrrhizic acid removed from the licorice root as possible, and most candies are made with DGL licorice any more, and they suggest using DGL where ever and whenever possible for the other uses licorice might have... and the part that makes it so yummy to some people, BTW... It's a pro-aromatase and fat dissolver... And it's NOT the glycyrrhizic acid... So it's still in the DGL stuff. And stuff that's standardized extracted to contain as much of the pro-aromatase fat dissolver as possible? Look for stuff labeled "glavonoid", it's the patented formula containing something like 45% iirc of the licorice flavonoid oils, which is the good stuff.
PS: Anyone else think it's kinda freaky how much I know about this ONE herb? It's like. Whoa there! Seriously though. I had to do a lot of work in order to stay on licorice safely for as long as I did. And even then, I still wasn't functioning at 100% because of it and everything I had to do to keep from going toxic. I do not recommend it.
