Free entry from The Complete Supplement Guide
DGL (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice)
Graded Moderate · Gut Health & Digestion · free to read
DGL is one of the more practically useful gut lining compounds in this category with a good safety profile when the glycyrrhizin is removed.
The dose range, the form that actually absorbs, the purity red flags and what not to stack it with are in the guide.
Get The Complete Supplement Guide →Last reviewed September 2026
The verdict
Is DGL worth taking?
DGL is one of the more practically useful gut lining compounds in this category with a good safety profile when the glycyrrhizin is removed. The deglycyrrhizination process is critical: whole licorice root containing glycyrrhizin raises blood pressure and causes potassium loss with regular use, DGL does not carry these risks. Chewable tablets taken before meals are the most evidence-supported form as chewing stimulates salivary compounds that appear to enhance DGL’s mucosal-protective effect.
What it does
What DGL does in the body
Gastric and esophageal mucosal protection, stomach lining repair, acid reflux symptom reduction, and H. pylori inhibition support. DGL stimulates mucus production and secretion in the stomach lining, enhancing the mucus layer that protects gastric tissue from acid and pepsin. It also has documented anti-inflammatory properties in gastric tissue and modest antimicrobial activity against H. pylori, the bacterium responsible for most stomach ulcers.
The evidence
What the research actually shows
Moderate. Clinical trials in the 1980s to 1990s established DGL’s benefit for gastric and duodenal ulcer healing, with some trials finding it comparable to cimetidine (an early acid-blocking medication) for ulcer healing rates while avoiding the acid suppression mechanism. More recent trial data is limited, as pharmaceutical development moved away from DGL toward newer acid suppression drugs, meaning the absence of recent trials reflects research funding patterns rather than negative findings. The mechanism is well characterized and clinical experience over decades is consistently positive.
Food first
Getting DGL from food
Licorice root tea made from whole root provides some of the same flavonoid and mucosal protective compounds, but also delivers glycyrrhizin at significant amounts with regular consumption. DGL supplementation is the practical form for regular therapeutic use given the glycyrrhizin concern with whole root preparations.
What the guide adds
The part that is not on this page
Everything above is the assessment. What the guide adds for DGL is the protocol:
- Optimal Form
- Dose Range
- Bioavailability
- Purity Red Flags
- Stack With / Avoid
147 entries across nine categories, every one graded against the clinical literature the same way.
About the author
Who graded this
Daniel Edlund is a Le Cordon Bleu-trained private chef in Los Angeles, a certified personal trainer and strength coach, and an internationally licensed massage therapist. Thirty years of strength training and fifteen years cooking in private estate kitchens. He is the author of The Complete Supplement Guide, which grades 147 entries against the clinical literature, and of The EASY Way to Organic Cooking, first published in 2013.
This page is information, not medical advice. Supplements interact with prescription medication and with each other, and the right answer depends on your own bloodwork and history. Talk to your doctor before starting anything, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, managing a health condition, or already taking medication.
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