I’m a pretty big tea drinker. Or, if you want to get pedantic about it, I more so enjoy a tisane, or herbal tea. I can handle a little bit of caffeine (a nutty oolong is my favourite on a lazy Sunday afternoon), but my cabinets are mostly filled with blends of rooibos, mint, and floral and fruity little things. As a child, I drank Celestial Seasonings or this Polish brand called LOYD. Well, over time, I’ve been interested in new options, which has led me to brands like Yogi Tea, Traditional Medicinals, and TWG Tea. These always felt either hippyish, clinical, or luxury, respectively, but through these, I found a lot that I really, really like. For instance, Yogi Tea’s Egyptian licorice is spicy and sweet. Chamomile & Lavender from Traditional Medicinals (which famously makes “Throat Coat”) is lovely before bed. And TWG Tea Eternal Summer is a fruity rooibos that somehow manages to be rich yet light at the same time.

I’d say that on an average weekday, I probably drink 2-4 cups of tea, with most of it in the evening. This may be greater on days I am at home writing, and lesser on days I’m at lab late. I’ve had this type of regimen around tea since I was in high school, at least. Yet, about a month ago, I found that my nightly teas seemed to send me to the bathroom. Repeatedly. Waking me up in the middle of the night, even. What was happening?

Was I getting old? Maybe something happened to my hormones? It became an actual disruption in my life. I wasn’t getting any sleep, and I was immensely stressed about what to do. I mean, I suddenly found that my usual uninterrupted 7-9 hours plummeted to 4-5 interrupted, if I was lucky. My searches sent me down rabbit holes of cancer, endometriosis, bladder conditions, infections, dysautonomia, anxiety conditions, you name it. I started drinking less tea (and water…), which helped, but was not sustainable. I started raising my feet before bed and prioritized my electrolytes. These also helped, but I knew I was going to need to see a doctor soon if this persisted.

Then, randomly, I saw a YouTube short from a medical student about how licorice affects the kidneys. The gears started clicking in my mind. Licorice. I was drinking multiple cups of licorice tea every day. The video talked about how the glycyrrhizic acid in licorice inhibits an enzyme in the kidneys called “11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2.” This then prevents the breakdown of cortisol, which at high levels can affect aldosterone receptors. This makes the kidneys retain salt and water and excrete potassium. Together, or at least (possibly) in my case, this can mean increased urine production, nocturia, increased thirst, edema/swelling, and electrolyte imbalances.

It all made sense suddenly. I not only immediately stopped drinking my licorice tea, but I found that a number of other teas I had contained licorice, as well. How much licorice was I actually drinking each day? Within about 2 weeks of stopping, my symptoms disappeared. I feel completely fine again now. I go to the bathroom before bed and that’s all until morning. No more laying down, then getting up 10 minutes later to go again.

I feel both ashamed and baffled by this brief situation I put myself in. I never knew licorice could do this, particularly since I consider it more a candy flavour than a supplement. When I worked in the pharmacy, I always knew that supplements were a big question mark. While some had known drug interactions, it was hard for the pharmacists to check them for our patients as there is not the same level of regulation as there is with prescription medication. But with tea, I would assume it’s a food product. At worst, maybe it’ll make me gassy or something. I can understand this better for teas that advertise themselves as supplements. For instance, senna teas make it clear that they’re for constipation. I would then not be surprised when it does as it says. But the Egyptian licorice tea seemed to just say “warming and naturally spicy-sweet.” I am not putting the blame on the tea here, but more that I managed to fall into the trap of a supplement, even with my level of hesitancy.

I’m glad to be feeling better, and I know now to be even more careful with what I consume. Ideally, package labels would be better to help others avoid this situation. But then again, maybe normal people only drink a cup of tea now and then and don’t find themselves consuming licorice en masse.

Happy reading,
-Beppa