Mulethi powder is the ground root of the licorice plant, a herb native to the Mediterranean, parts of Asia, and northern Africa. Known as “Yashtimadhu” in Ayurvedic medicine, it has been used for centuries as a remedy for coughs, sore throats, digestive complaints, and skin issues. The root gets its intensely sweet taste from a compound called glycyrrhizin, which is roughly 60 times sweeter than sugarcane. That sweetness is part of what makes mulethi powder so easy to mix into teas, milk, and face masks, but glycyrrhizin is also responsible for the side effects that make dosing important.
What Makes Mulethi Powder Active
The root contains two main categories of bioactive compounds: saponins and flavonoids. Glycyrrhizin, the dominant saponin, ranges from 2% to 25% of the root’s dry weight depending on where it was grown and how it was processed. Glycyrrhizin and its breakdown product, glycyrrhetinic acid, drive most of the root’s hormonal and anti-inflammatory effects.
The flavonoids are what give licorice its yellow color. Several of these, including glabridin and glabrene, have strong antioxidant activity and behave like mild estrogens in the body. Other flavonoids in the root relax smooth muscle tissue, which is part of why mulethi has traditionally been used for coughs and breathing problems.
Respiratory Benefits
Mulethi’s most popular use in India is for coughs, sore throats, and chest congestion. The powder works as an expectorant: it thins thick mucus sitting in the lungs, bronchi, and windpipe so you can cough it up more easily, while also lubricating the irritated lining of the respiratory tract. A flavonoid in the root called isoliquiritigenin relaxes the smooth muscles of the trachea, which helps open the airway. Glycyrrhizin itself has been studied for allergic asthma, where it appears to reduce airway constriction.
The simplest traditional preparation is half a teaspoon of mulethi powder stirred into warm water or honey and sipped slowly. Many people chew small pieces of the whole dried root during a cold for the same effect.
Digestive Uses
Mulethi has a long Ayurvedic history as a stomach soother, and it is widely marketed for acid reflux and ulcers. The reality is more nuanced than the marketing suggests. A double-blind clinical trial tested a licorice extract at 760 mg three times daily in patients with gastric ulcers and found no measurable healing advantage over placebo. Small ulcers healed faster than large ones regardless of treatment group.
That said, a processed version of mulethi called DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) is commonly sold for reflux symptoms. DGL has had the glycyrrhizin removed, which eliminates the hormonal side effects while preserving other compounds that may coat and soothe the stomach lining. If your interest in mulethi is purely digestive, DGL tablets taken before meals are the form most often recommended by integrative practitioners.
Skin Brightening and Hyperpigmentation
Mulethi powder is a staple in homemade face masks across South Asia, and the science behind this use is solid. The root contains glabridin, glabrol, and liquiritigenin, all of which inhibit tyrosinase, the enzyme your skin needs to produce melanin. By slowing melanin production, mulethi can gradually lighten dark spots, post-acne marks, and uneven skin tone. This is why licorice extract shows up in commercial brightening serums alongside vitamin C and niacinamide.
A basic topical paste combines one teaspoon of mulethi powder with a tablespoon of aloe vera gel, applied to the face for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing. Some people add a small amount of milk cream or coconut oil to keep the mask from drying out too quickly. Results are gradual, typically noticeable after several weeks of consistent use two to three times per week.
How It Affects Your Hormones
This is the part most wellness blogs skip. Glycyrrhizin’s breakdown product, glycyrrhetinic acid, blocks an enzyme in your kidneys that normally deactivates cortisol (your body’s primary stress hormone). When that enzyme is blocked, cortisol builds up and starts activating receptors meant for aldosterone, a hormone that controls sodium and water balance. The result is a condition called pseudohyperaldosteronism: your body retains sodium and water, loses potassium, and your blood pressure rises.
This isn’t a theoretical risk. It was observed historically when Scythian warriors survived desert crossings by chewing licorice root. The root quenched their thirst precisely because it caused their bodies to hold onto water. In modern terms, regular consumption of whole mulethi powder at moderate to high amounts can cause elevated blood pressure, low potassium, and fluid retention. The effect on that kidney enzyme begins even at relatively low blood concentrations of glycyrrhetinic acid, meaning it doesn’t take much.
Safe Intake Levels
A joint FAO/WHO expert committee reviewed the evidence and concluded that up to 100 mg per day of glycyrrhizinic acid (roughly 2 mg per kilogram of body weight) is unlikely to cause problems in most adults, while noting that some particularly sensitive individuals could experience effects below that threshold. No formal “tolerable upper intake” has been established because individual responses vary so widely.
Translating that into powder is tricky because glycyrrhizin content varies between 2% and 25% depending on the batch. A conservative approach: if you’re using mulethi powder regularly rather than as an occasional cold remedy, keep it to half a teaspoon or less per day, and take breaks. If you have high blood pressure or kidney issues, avoid it or switch to DGL.
DGL vs. Whole Mulethi Powder
DGL is simply licorice root that has been processed to remove glycyrrhizin. This strips out the compound responsible for blood pressure elevation, potassium loss, and hormonal disruption while keeping the flavonoids and other soothing compounds intact. DGL is typically sold as chewable tablets rather than powder, with a common dose of two 380 mg tablets before meals for digestive support.
The trade-off is that you also lose some of the respiratory and anti-inflammatory benefits that glycyrrhizin provides. For coughs and congestion, whole mulethi powder is more effective. For long-term digestive use or for anyone on medications that affect potassium levels, DGL is the safer choice.
Who Should Avoid Mulethi Powder
Because mulethi mimics the effects of aldosterone, it interacts with several categories of medication. People taking potassium-depleting diuretics (water pills) face compounded potassium loss, which can become dangerous. Those on fludrocortisone or similar mineralocorticoid drugs risk amplified sodium retention and blood pressure spikes. Pregnant women are generally advised to avoid it due to the hormonal activity.
Even without medications, anyone who notices swelling in the hands or feet, headaches, or muscle weakness after starting mulethi should stop and have their blood pressure and potassium checked. These are the early signs that glycyrrhizin is shifting your electrolyte balance.