Is Liquorice (mulethi) safe during pregnancy?

Spices & herbs

Avoid liquorice root

The NHS says to avoid liquorice root and herbal teas containing it; NIH NCCIH says large amounts of liquorice in pregnancy are unsafe.[1,2]

What official sources say

NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy

  • Drinks › Drinks to limit: Herbal teas such as peppermint and chamomile should be limited in pregnancy to no more than 4 cups a day, and teas containing liquorice root should be avoided.[1]
  • Drinks › Drinks to avoid: Herbal teas that contain liquorice root are on the list of drinks to avoid in pregnancy.[1]
  • Liquorice root may harm the baby's development, so avoiding it is the safest choice.[1]

NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: licorice-root

  • Consuming oral licorice extract in large amounts (about 250 grams of licorice per week) during pregnancy is unsafe and can increase the risk of delivery before gestational age of 38 weeks.[2]

Sources

  1. NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy · nhs.uk. Paraphrased. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 (OGL v3.0). Not endorsed by the NHS.
  2. NIH NCCIH: Herbs at a Glance: licorice-root · nccih.nih.gov. US government work, public domain; quoted. No endorsement implied.

Sources checked 26 September 2026.

Quotes are checked word for word against each source page, and paraphrases against the original text. Official bodies are named as sources only: none of them reviewed or endorses this page.

Educational information, not medical advice. Your own doctor or midwife may advise differently for you — follow their advice.