Drug Interaction Report

Licorice and Aspirin Rectal: Interaction Details

Name: Licorice and Aspirin Rectal Interaction
Creator: Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS

A pharmacist-reviewed analysis of the Licorice and Aspirin Rectal interaction: the documented clinical effects, severity rating, onset, mechanism, and management considerations, with cited references throughout.

AI-assisted, pharmacist-reviewed · Source data updated Jul 11, 2026 · Sources: FDA labeling, DDInter 2.0, cited literature

Aspirin Rectal

Aspirin

Licorice

No brand names on record

Medically reviewed by

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS

Updated Jul 11, 2026

Editorial policy · Data sources

Interaction severity

Moderate

Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.

Minor

Moderate

Major

Contraindicated

How we grade severity & evidence

Severity levels

Contraindicated: These should generally not be used together.
Major: Potentially serious — often needs a change or close monitoring.
Moderate: Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.
Minor: Usually limited clinical impact.

Evidence grades

Established: Well documented — supported by controlled studies or strong clinical data.
Probable: Good supporting evidence, though not definitively proven.
Suspected: Some evidence suggests this interaction, but it is not well established.
Possible: Limited or conflicting evidence; the interaction may occur.
Theoretical: Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.

Ratings come from the documented interaction literature and are reviewed by a pharmacist. They describe the documented risk of the combination, not what will necessarily happen to you — your dose, timing, and health picture all matter.

Of 38 documented Licorice interactions, 33 are rated moderate — including this one.

Onset

unspecified

Evidence

theoretical

Severity

Moderate

What happens

Increased risk of bleeding

Interaction Deep Dive

Theoretically, licorice may potentiate the effects of antiplatelet agents²³¹. Licorice root is thought to contain coumarins or coumarin derivatives ³. A 2-arylcoumarin derivative of licorice (GU-7) demonstrated antiplatelet activity in vitro, possibly through increasing intraplatelet cyclic AMP ²¹. Glycyrrhizin, a component of licorice, demonstrated selective thrombin inhibition in vitro ⁴. Caution is advised.

Why it happens (mechanism)

Inhibition of thrombin and platelet aggregation by licorice

Common questions

Can I take Licorice and Aspirin Rectal together?

Increased risk of bleeding Always confirm with your pharmacist or prescriber before making any change.

How serious is the Licorice and Aspirin Rectal interaction?

It is rated moderate. Can be significant — usually manageable with monitoring.

How quickly could this interaction happen?

The documented onset is "unspecified". The timing of this interaction is not well characterized.

How strong is the evidence for this interaction?

The evidence is graded "theoretical". Predicted from the drugs' pharmacology; not yet confirmed in people.

From our Q&A

Real reader questions about these medications, each personally answered by our pharmacist:

Questions for your pharmacist

Does my dose of Licorice or Aspirin Rectal need adjusting while I take them together?
What symptoms should prompt me to call you or my prescriber right away?
Does the timing of my doses matter for this combination?
Is there anything you'd monitor while I'm on both?

References (4)

Newall CA, Anderson LA, & Phillipson JDNewall CA, Anderson LA, & Phillipson JD: Herbal Medicines: A Guide for Healthcare Professionals, The Pharmaceutical Press, London, England, 1996.
Norred CL & Brinker F: Potential coagulation effects of preoperative complementary and alternative medicines. Alt Ther 2001; 7(6):58-67.
Heck AM, DeWitt BA, & Lukes AL: Potential interactions between alternative therapies and warfarin. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2000; 57(13):1221-1227. DOI
Francischetti IM, Monteiro RQ, Guimaraes JA, et al: Identification of glycyrrhizin as a thrombin inhibitor. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 1997; 235(1):259-263. PubMed

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Aspirin Rectal

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Licorice

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About our interaction database: depth, not breadth

HelloPharmacist doesn't license one of the big commercial interaction databases, so what you'll find here is not a complete list of every known drug interaction. Instead, each entry is researched, analyzed, and written up individually — documented from the published literature, reviewed by a pharmacist, and cited so you can check every source yourself.

If a combination isn't listed here, it means we haven't documented it yet — never that it's safe. For screening a full medication list, we recommend pairing this site with a comprehensive tool like the Drugs.com Interaction Checker and, most importantly, a review by your own pharmacist. For a deep, plain-English, fully sourced explanation of a specific documented interaction — that's exactly what we built this for.

This information is for education, not a substitute for professional medical advice. Do not start, stop, or change any medication without talking to your pharmacist or prescriber.