Licorice Root and Abstaining Question

[DoulaMama]

On my licorice root bottle it says- Give 3 pills with each meal(so 9 pills total!!! 450mg each too!) Wowsa! My hubby was taking 2 a day with our last attempt and I'm going to up it to 3 pretty soon. I also have him only take it for 2 weeks at a time (O-AF he gets a break).

[zanacal]

Crikey, really DM? Wow!

[atomic sagebrush]

I am having DH abstain for 14 days then we are doing a one time 2 day cut-off, I will then have him release twice a day for an O+12 if I can time it right. I know we both have high testerosgerone (sp?) so I am taking saw palmetto and I had him start his licorice root yesterday as we are two weeks from the first attempt. Right now I am giving him the 450mg 3 times a day...would it totally hurt to throw in a few extra? Will it be too much with the abstaining? He is only 32 and in the past we have been very fertile. Thanks ladies!

If one works, take one. It's always ok to take LESS supps but you should NOT take more.

Licorice root can raise blood pressure and so I do not think it's a good idea to have him take any more than the bottle suggests.

[atomic sagebrush]

I just read a post on in-gender who swears by giving her hubby double the dose of licorice root along with 12 day abstaining. She has done this twice and got a girl both times. I am going to write up a sway plan so I was going to go back and have a good look at her sway. I was wondering about doubling my husbands dose but I think I would be worried that it would do him serious harm? Has anyone given their hubby higher than the 3 times a day dose??

PLEASE DON'T. These herbs are not TicTacs, they have serious side effects and licorice root is so effective that they are used as prescription drugs in Japan. If your husband had some underlying health issue that hers didn't, you could run the risk of giving him a stroke by giving him so much licorice root.

[atomic sagebrush]

From the University of Maryland Medical Center Website:

The use of herbs is a time honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, contain components that can trigger side effects and that can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs with care, preferably under the supervision of a health care provider in the field of botanical medicine.

Licorice with glycyrrhizin may cause serious side effects. Too much glycyrrhizin causes a condition called pseudoaldosteronism, which can cause a person to become overly sensitive to a hormone in the adrenal cortex. This condition can lead to headaches, fatigue, high blood pressure, and even heart attacks. It may also cause water retention, which can lead to leg swelling and other problems.

Although the most dangerous effects generally only occur with high doses of licorice or glycyrrhizin, side effects may occur even with average amounts of licorice. Some people experience muscle pain or numbness in the arms and legs. To be safe, ask your health care provider to monitor your use of licorice.

People with the following conditions should not take licorice:

•Heart failure
•Heart disease
•Fluid retention
•High blood pressure (hypertension)
•Diabetes
•Kidney disease