Anyone know if DGL Licorice is safe for my reflux while breastfeeding?

[Athora80]

I bought some DGL for my reflux but the bottle says not to use while nursing, but I know most stuff says that : /. Does anyone have any info or advice or know if it's okay while breastfeeding?

[Heba]

What is DGL?  Can you post the components?

[Athora80]

It's Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice :)

[Heba]

Sorry, I've just looked it up - DGL is Deglycyrrhizinised liquorice which *is* the component LOL.  I thought DGL was a pharmaceutical drug.

I can't find any info on it, I'm afraid.  Hopefully someone with some current info or experience will be along shortly.

I hope you get some relief from your reflux soon!

[Athora80]

Yea, I'm in the same boat : /. I have gastritis too which DGL will also help, but my babe comes before me so I want to be really sure. Thanks for the well wishes :)

[cww]

I can't remember where I read it (this was before I got pregnant and my daughter is now 5 months old), but I have taken DGL for years, through pregnancy and BFing, and I only did that after reading somewhere that I felt was reliable that it should be safe.  I've been on a lot of supplements for several years because of some longer-term health issues, and before starting to try to get pregnant, I looked all of them up and gradually weaned off any where there was any doubt of their safety.  I'm away from home for 3 months, so I can't look things up in my copy of Medications and Mother's Milk, but that book has been helpful to me when I had questions about things and BF safety (it has both drugs and many herbs/supplements, although I don't know if DGL is in there) - maybe you could check out a copy at a bookstore (or just buy a copy since it's a great reference) and see if DGL is in there?

[Heba]

Nope, I'm afraid it's not in Hale's Medications and Mother's Milk (2008). That was the first place I looked.

[cww]

I thought about this a bit more, and here's some information that I found or remember having seen:

Here's the website to the company that manufactures the brand that I take, where they say that it is safe for pregnancy and BFing:

http://naturalfactors.com/ca/en/products/500/dgl-deglycyrrhizinated-licorice-root-extract

Of course, they are a company selling something, but I would hope their liability lawyers would keep them from posting that if it's not true.  If you don't want to rely on this alone, you could maybe call them and ask for the research references that they used to determine that DGL was safe for BFing?

And I also remember that DGL was recommended in the book A Natural Guide to Pregnancy and Postpartum Health - one author is a doctor and the other a chiropractor - you can look it up in Amazon, and click on look inside this book, and then search for DGL to see some excerpts.  They specifically recommend it for pregnancy and postpartum, and while they do not specifically address BFing, I feel that they would likely mention if BFing were a problem with this herb since the whole book is about postpartum health, but of course that's just my opinion, and it's possible the authors overlooked this issue. 

Hope this possibly helps!

[Athora80]

Thanks so much, I actually bought the natural factors brand too! Now I feel better about taking it :))

[drlisawatson]

DGL is considered to be safe in breastfeeding.  DGL is licorice with the hormone-altering component (glycyrrhinic acid or glycyrrhiza) removed - hence the name de-glycyrrhizinated licorice.  Without this compound DGL is quite safe to consume during both pregnancy and breastfeeding.  As a Naturopathic Doctor I recommend it to patients for both heartburn (GERD) and ulcers during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

[Purplescool]

@Dr Watson. Thanks, I'm 9 weeks pregnant and having terrible heartburn. I've used DGL many times but not during pregnancy and I'm wondering too.  So is it ok even in the first trimester?  And how often can I use it? The one I have is a 380 mg(brand is Planetary Herbals).  I'm scared because OB is unsure about it.   I'm suffering and I can't tolerate TUMS due to the food coloring and the mint flavor I also can't do.  I don't want Mylanta because of the aluminum.