What do the states mean?+
- Solid: well studied, and it works.
- Half-there: the science is still forming.
- A ghost: almost no real studies.
- Hollow: well studied, and it does not work.
- A cord: the pair itself has been tested together.
- Air: nobody has ever tested this pair.
The full scoring method: How we score
Licorice root benefits: where the science stands
For liver: not settled yet.
On liver, the strongest evidence says it helps (a combined review, plus a trial of 60 people). As of August 2026, the verdicts on this page rest on evidence from 3 trials, drawn from the strongest research among the 50 papers on PubMed that mention licorice root. Every claim is checked below.
50 papers on PubMed · evidence from 3 trials
Claim by claim
- LiverThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- Blood sugarThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
- CholesterolThe science is still forming. The best studies disagree.
- Weight and body fatThe science is still forming. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
Pairs people ask about
The three sources we read
- 2004Meta-analysis · benefit for liversource
- 2022Randomized trial · 60 people · benefit for blood sugar; no clear effect on cholesterol; benefit for liversource
- 2024Randomized trial · 66 people · benefit for blood sugar; benefit for cholesterol; benefit for weight and body fatsource
Chosen as the strongest evidence out of 50 papers on PubMed. Every row links to its paper.
Fair questions
Does licorice root work?+
For liver, it is not settled. Results lean positive, but there is not much yet.
Is licorice root safe?+
No caution is recorded on this page. That is not a safety guarantee; the studies we read were not safety trials.
Why only 3 sources, when PubMed lists 50?+
The 50 is every paper that mentions licorice root in any way: animal studies, blood measurements, papers where it is a side note. The strongest sources are combined reviews, and each one already gathers every trial its authors could find. Our 3 cover 3 trials between them, and every one is linked above. Both counts are measured, not estimated.