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 has one of the longest track records of any botanical in oral care history. 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 care include:

• Glycyrrhizin — the primary compound, responsible for licorice's characteristic sweetness and much of its traditional botanical character
• Liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin — flavonoids with a long history of study in oral care research
• Licoricidin and licorisoflavan A — two compounds that have attracted research interest for their interaction with the oral environment

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

Licorice Root and the Oral Environment

One of the most studied aspects of licorice root in dentistry is its interaction with the oral environment — specifically its relationship to the conditions where common oral bacteria thrive. This has been a consistent area of botanical research interest for decades, and licorice root appears across traditional and modern oral care formulas worldwide for this reason.

Licorice root also shows up in research examining oral bacteria associated with gum sensitivity, which is why it's increasingly common in traditional botanical oral care formulas designed for daily gum comfort.

Historical Oral Care Use

Beyond its oral environment profile, glycyrrhizin — the primary compound in licorice root — has well-documented traditional botanical use for soothing. Gum sensitivity — tenderness, puffiness, reactive gum tissue — is one of the most common oral comfort concerns adults experience.

Botanical ingredients with a traditional soothing character are a natural fit for daily oral care, and licorice root pairs naturally with myrrh, calendula, and clove in complex natural formulas for this reason. Each brings a complementary traditional use profile.

Licorice Root vs. Synthetic Formulas

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

Licorice root is a gentler option for daily maintenance use — supporting oral freshness and a comfortable gum feel without the broad-spectrum harshness of synthetic formulas. For daily care rather than clinical treatment, that gentleness is the point.

A healthy oral environment isn't sterile. The goal of natural oral care isn't to eliminate all bacteria — it's to maintain the conditions where your mouth feels fresh and comfortable every day. Licorice root supports that approach.

Licorice Root in Oil Pulling

In oil pulling formulas, licorice root extract functions alongside the mechanical action of swishing. The oil itself helps carry lipid-soluble compounds from oral tissues, while botanical extracts like licorice root, myrrh, and green tea deliver their traditional botanical character 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 daily oral support.

Licorice Root in Toothpaste

In toothpaste, licorice root CO₂ extract contributes its traditional botanical character 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 to the daily routine.

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 — along the gumline and between teeth. Our Restorative Mouth Rinse includes licorice root CO₂ as a traditional botanical soothing ingredient for gum tissue, paired with colloidal silver for mineral-based oral care support.

Together they address the daily oral care experience from two directions: botanical comfort and mineral freshness.

What Licorice Root Doesn't Do

To be clear about what the research supports: licorice root is not a treatment for active Gum sensitivity or tooth-surface concerns. If you have significant gum concerns, active infection, or a condition your dentist has flagged, those require professional care. What licorice root supports is daily maintenance — a more comfortable gum feel and a fresher oral environment as part of a consistent routine.

How to Use Licorice Root in Your Routine

• Toothpaste: Use Living Crystal Toothpaste twice daily — 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 comfort
• 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 — a functional botanical with centuries of traditional oral care use and a growing body of modern research interest behind it.

Also in the routine: Restorative Mouth Rinse · Antioxidant Oil Pull · Full Oral Care Collection