Drug & supplement interaction

Licorice + Irbesartan

Irbesartan brand names: Avapro, Aprovel.

Moderate Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Moderate

Irbesartan falls into 2 drug categories that Licorice can interact with; the most serious is rated moderate. Theoretically, licorice might reduce the effects of antihypertensive drugs.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityModerate
LikelihoodPossible
Interactions2
EvidenceB
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Licorice and Irbesartan

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Licorice interacts with whole categories of medication. Irbesartan falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Licorice in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Moderate).

Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Irbesartan

Irbesartan falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS — the group Licorice interacts with.

Theoretically, licorice might reduce the effects of antihypertensive drugs.
In human research, licorice increases blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the simple version: irbesartan (Avapro) lowers your blood pressure by relaxing your blood vessels. Real licorice (the kind with glycyrrhizin) tends to do the opposite. It makes your body hold onto sodium and water and lose potassium, which can nudge your blood pressure back up. So if you take regular licorice often or in large amounts, it may work against your irbesartan and your readings could creep higher.

This is rated moderate and comes from human studies showing licorice raises blood pressure with bigger doses. A little licorice flavoring now and then is unlikely to matter, but concentrated supplements or daily use can. Deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) products usually avoid this problem. Please check with your pharmacist or doctor before adding it.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Sigurjonsdottir HA, Ragnarsson J, Franzson L, Sigurdsson G. Is blood pressure commonly raised by moderate consumption of liquorice? J Hum Hypertens 1995;9:345-8.
  2. Sigurjonsdottir HA, Franzson L, Manhem K, et al. Liquorice-induced rise in blood pressure: a linear dose-response relationship. J Hum Hypertens 2001;15:549-52. PubMed
  3. Koster, M. and David, G. K. Reversible severe hypertension due to licorice ingestion. N Engl J Med 1968;278(25):1381-1383. PubMed
Moderate

CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES

2 of 2

Irbesartan also falls under CYTOCHROME P450 2C9 (CYP2C9) SUBSTRATES.

Theoretically, licorice might increase or decrease levels of drugs metabolized by CYP2C9.
There is conflicting evidence about the effect of licorice on CYP2C9 enzyme activity. In vitro research shows that extracts from the licorice species G. glabra and G. uralensis moderately inhibit CYP2C9 isoenzymes. However, evidence from an animal model shows that licorice extract from the species G. uralensis can induce hepatic CYP2C9 activity. Until more is known, licorice should be used cautiously in people taking CYP2C9 substrates.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Here's the honest picture with licorice and irbesartan. Irbesartan is partly broken down by a liver enzyme called CYP2C9, and licorice might nudge that enzyme either up or down. The lab and animal studies disagree, so this is mostly theoretical right now, not something seen clearly in real patients. If licorice slows the enzyme, irbesartan could build up a bit (think dizziness or lightheadedness from blood pressure dropping too low); if it speeds it up, your blood pressure control could slip.

Honestly, my bigger concern is the licorice itself. Real glycyrrhizin-containing licorice can raise blood pressure and lower potassium, which works directly against what irbesartan is doing for you. Food amounts are usually fine; daily supplements are where trouble starts. A quick chat with your pharmacist or doctor is the safe move.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Kent UM, Aviram M, Rosenblat M, Hollenberg PF. The licorice root derived isoflavan glabridin inhibits the activities of human cytochrome P450S 3A4, 2B6, and 2C9. Drug Metab Dispos 2002;30:709-15.. PubMed
  2. Mu Y, Zhang J, Zhang S, et al. Traditional Chinese medicines Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra chinensis Baill) and Gan Cao (Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch) activate pregnane X receptor and increase warfarin clearance in rats. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 2006;316:1369-77. PubMed
  3. Li G, Simmler C, Chen L, et al. Cytochrome P450 inhibition by three licorice species and fourteen licorice constituents. Eur J Pharm Sci. 2017;109:182-190. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Licorice Also Interacts With Other Medications

Licorice has 976 moderate, 63 minor known drug interactions in our database — the Irbesartan one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Moderate 976 Minor 63 No known interaction 1,791 (incl. Irbesartan)
Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Licorice

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Licorice. Pick one to open its full report.

From our Q&A

Questions About Licorice or Irbesartan

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Licorice or Irbesartan, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Irbesartan

This page covers Licorice only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Irbesartan page lists 182 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major), Tyramine (major) and Adrafinil (moderate).

By severity: 4 major · 145 moderate · 33 minor.

Open the Irbesartan interaction page

One more smart check

Taking Licorice as Part of a Dietary Supplement Product? Check It for Interactions

We hold 4,721 real supplement products containing Licorice, each one broken down to its full ingredient list — and combination products often carry several ingredients besides Licorice. Your product may carry other ingredients that interact with Irbesartan too, on top of Licorice — and those would not show on this page. Find your product and we’ll check every ingredient on its label:

How much people look this up

Where Licorice and Irbesartan Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Licorice
Top 5%

#37 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Irbesartan
Top half

#1,374 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Licorice

What is Licorice?

Licorice
  • Sore throat and cough
  • Heartburn and stomach upset
  • Mouth ulcers and digestive complaints
  • Inflammation
  • Traditional tonic/adrenal support

Licorice root is a traditional remedy used for sore throats, coughs, and digestive complaints, but solid human evidence is limited for most uses. Regular licorice contains glycyrrhizin, which can raise blood pressure and lower potassium when taken in large amounts or for a long time, so deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) products are often preferred. Talk to your pharmacist or doctor before using it, especially if you have high blood pressure, heart, or kidney problems.

Read the full Licorice monograph & all interactions
Medication

About Irbesartan

What Is Irbesartan Used For?

Brand names: Avapro, Aprovel

Irbesartan tablets — sold as Avapro and under the generic name Irbesartan — are used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension). Lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of serious cardiovascular events, including stroke and heart attack. The medication can be used alone or combined with other blood pressure medicines.

Irbesartan tablets are also used to treat diabetic nephropathy (kidney disease caused by diabetes) in adults who have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, elevated creatinine levels, and significant protein in the urine. In these patients, it slows the worsening of kidney disease.

See full Irbesartan drug information
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Licorice

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Licorice — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

0Major
976Moderate
63Minor
1,790No known interaction
976 Moderate 63 Minor 1,790 No interaction
Moderate

976 interactions

Showing 60 of 976 moderate interactions — see all 976 on the Licorice page.

Minor

63 interactions

Showing 60 of 63 minor interactions — see all 63 on the Licorice page.

No interaction 1,790 drugs checked — show the list

We also checked Licorice against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,790 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Licorice list.

See the full Licorice interactions page
See every supplement checked against Irbesartan, ranked by severity
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

Keep exploring
Licorice monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Irbesartan supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Irbesartan, ranked by severity Irbesartan drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Licorice and Irbesartan Together: Common Questions

Can you take Licorice with Irbesartan?
There is a moderate interaction, so it may be acceptable with monitoring or timing changes — but check with your pharmacist first. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 2 interactions listed for Licorice and Irbesartan?
Irbesartan belongs to more than one drug category, and Licorice interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Licorice and Irbesartan interaction?
We rate it Moderate. This combination may require monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one. Consult your pharmacist before using them together.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Still Have a Question About Irbesartan and Licorice?

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.