What Licorice Root Does for Your Teeth and Gums

Licorice root has been used in traditional oral care for thousands of years — in Ayurvedic practice, traditional Chinese medicine, and ancient Mediterranean cultures. Today, modern botanical formulas are bringing it back for a simple reason: it works. If you've seen licorice root listed on a toothpaste, mouthwash, or oil pull, here's exactly what it's doing and why it belongs in a serious natural oral care routine.

The Active Compounds in Licorice Root

The term "licorice root" in oral care typically refers to the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a perennial herb native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. The plant contains a range of bioactive compounds, but the ones most relevant to oral health include:

• Glycyrrhizin — the primary compound, responsible for licorice's characteristic sweetness and much of its anti-inflammatory activity
• Liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin — flavonoids with documented antimicrobial properties against oral bacteria
• Licoricidin and licorisoflavan A — two compounds studied specifically for their effects on Streptococcus mutans, one of the main bacteria linked to cavities

What makes licorice root interesting in oral care isn't any single compound — it's the combined effect of the whole root extract working on multiple fronts simultaneously.

Antimicrobial Action: The Case Against Oral Bacteria

One of the most studied aspects of licorice root in dentistry is its effect on Streptococcus mutans — the primary cavity-causing bacteria. Research published in the journal Caries Research found that licorice root compounds significantly inhibited the growth and adhesion of S. mutans in lab settings.

This matters because most cavities don't happen from sugar alone — they happen when sugar feeds bacteria that produce acid, and that acid eats through enamel over time. Disrupting the bacteria's ability to colonize and adhere to tooth surfaces is one of the most upstream interventions possible in cavity prevention.

Licorice root also shows activity against Porphyromonas gingivalis and other bacteria associated with gum disease, which is why you'll find it increasingly common in gum-health formulas.

Anti-Inflammatory Effects for Gum Health

Beyond antimicrobial action, glycyrrhizin — the primary compound in licorice root — has well-documented anti-inflammatory properties. Inflamed gum tissue is the hallmark of gingivitis and early-stage gum disease. The gums become red, swollen, and bleed easily, often from the inflammatory response to bacterial activity rather than direct bacterial damage.

Botanical ingredients that can quiet that inflammatory response while also addressing the underlying bacterial load are genuinely useful — and licorice root hits both targets. This is why it's a natural pairing with other anti-inflammatory botanicals like myrrh, calendula, and clove in complex oral care formulas.

Licorice Root vs. Synthetic Antimicrobials

Many conventional mouthwashes rely on chlorhexidine or cetylpyridinium chloride (CPC) as their antimicrobial backbone. These work — but they come with trade-offs. Chlorhexidine in particular has been associated with staining, taste disruption, and concerns about long-term microbiome disruption when used daily.

Licorice root doesn't have the same evidence base as chlorhexidine for treating active infection, but for daily maintenance use — keeping bacterial populations in check, supporting gum tissue health, and reducing inflammatory load — it's a gentler and more microbiome-friendly option. It targets harmful bacteria without the broad-spectrum disruption that wipes out beneficial oral flora too.

A healthy oral microbiome isn't sterile. The goal of natural oral care isn't to eliminate all bacteria — it's to keep the harmful ones from dominating. Licorice root supports that balance rather than breaking it.

Licorice Root in Oil Pulling

In oil pulling formulas, licorice root extract functions alongside the mechanical action of swishing. The oil itself helps pull lipid-soluble compounds from oral tissues, while botanical extracts like licorice root, myrrh, and green tea deliver their active compounds directly to gum tissue and the tooth surface during the swish. It's a delivery mechanism that gives botanical ingredients more sustained contact time than a rinse-and-spit mouthwash would.

Our Antioxidant Oil Pull and Ozonated Oil Pull both include licorice root as part of a 12-extract botanical complex that also includes myrrh, manuka, green tea, tea tree, and turmeric — a stack designed for comprehensive oral support rather than a single-ingredient approach.

Licorice Root in Toothpaste

In toothpaste, licorice root CO₂ extract gives the formula antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory coverage while complementing other botanical actives. In Living Crystal Toothpaste, licorice root is part of a full-spectrum CO₂ and essential oil complex alongside organic calendula, myrrh, clove, usnea lichen, rhatany root, and peppermint — each contributing a different layer of protection.

CO₂ extraction is important here. Unlike steam-distilled or alcohol-extracted versions, CO₂ extracts preserve a much broader range of the plant's active compounds — including the heavier, more delicate flavonoids that would be destroyed by heat. When you see "licorice root CO₂" on a label, you're getting the full-spectrum extract rather than a degraded version.

Licorice Root in Mouthwash

In liquid form, licorice root can reach areas that toothpaste bristles and oil pulling don't fully access — the back of the throat, under the gumline, and between teeth. Our Restorative Mouth Rinse includes licorice root CO₂ as a soothing botanical for gum tissue, paired with colloidal silver for broad-spectrum antimicrobial coverage.

The combination of licorice root's anti-inflammatory properties and colloidal silver's antimicrobial action creates a two-stage effect: reducing the inflammatory response while simultaneously keeping bacterial populations in check.

What Licorice Root Doesn't Do

To be clear about what the research supports: licorice root is not a treatment for active gum disease or cavities. If you have significant gum recession, active infection, or periodontal disease, those require professional care. What licorice root supports is daily maintenance — reducing bacterial load, calming inflammation, and supporting gum tissue health over time as part of a consistent routine.

It's also worth noting that oral care products using licorice root extract contain negligible amounts of glycyrrhizin compared to the quantities associated with systemic effects from licorice candy consumption. Topical oral use at the concentrations found in toothpaste or mouthwash is not associated with the blood pressure or hormonal effects sometimes cited for high-dose licorice supplementation.

How to Use Licorice Root in Your Routine

For most people, the most practical way to get the benefits of licorice root in oral care is through products that include it as part of a broader botanical formula:

• Toothpaste: Use Living Crystal Toothpaste twice daily as your fluoride-free foundation — licorice root works alongside 11 other botanicals every time you brush
• Mouthwash: Follow brushing with Restorative Mouth Rinse to reach areas brushing misses, with licorice root CO₂ for gum support
• Oil pulling: Add the Antioxidant Oil Pull 3–5 mornings per week before brushing for extended botanical contact time

Each of these products contains licorice root as a verified ingredient — not an add-on marketing claim, but a functional botanical that's been part of traditional oral care for centuries and is now backed by growing modern research.