Mulethi Tea: Licorice Root, Made Carefully (Video)

Transcript

Sweet, Warm, Cautious

Imagine a sweet, honey-like tea that warms you from the inside, but also asks you to be mindful of how often you sip it.

What is Mulethi

Mulethi is the licorice root you see in every spice shop across the subcontinent. It turns into a beautiful, honey-sweet tea, and among the drinks in this series it’s the one you need to handle with extra care.

At a glance

A single cup is about 200 ml, takes ten minutes to prepare, and is traditionally enjoyed occasionally, often when a voice feels hoarse. If you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney issues, are pregnant, or take regular meds, read the caution before you brew.

Read before you brew

Most spice drinks are just food, but licorice root contains glycyrrhizin, which can lower potassium and raise blood pressure when consumed regularly. Food safety agencies warn against daily licorice intake, and doctors have seen low potassium from long-term use. One cup is fine; the risk comes from making it a habit.

Cultural place

You’ll find mulethi as dried sticks or yellow chips at a pansari or spice market. Children used to chew the sticks, singers keep a piece in their pocket, and it appears in paan and sweet mixes. As a drink it’s simply simmered water with optional ginger or cardamom, served hot in a small cup when the throat feels rough.

Ingredients

For one cup you need 250 ml water, one gram of dried root (about a half-teaspoon of chips or a 3 cm stick), two thin ginger slices, a crushed cardamom pod, a quarter teaspoon fennel seeds, three mint or tulsi leaves, a half teaspoon lemon juice after heating, and no extra sweetener.

How to brew

The key is restraint. Measure exactly one gram of root, use a scale or a 3 cm piece. Bruise a stick, then add water, ginger, cardamom, and fennel. Bring to a boil, drop to a gentle simmer, and let it steep for five minutes. Remove from heat, add mint or tulsi for a minute, strain, and taste. If it’s too sweet, stir in a little lemon; never add sugar or honey.

One gram of root, five minutes, and then you stop. That last part is the recipe.

Variations & pitfalls

Ginger balances the sweetness, fennel offers a milder tone, and some add black pepper. Common mistakes are using too much root, over-steeping, adding sugar, treating it as a daily tea, or leaving the root in the cup after brewing.

Storage tip

Old spice sellers often give you a single stick, which is a natural portion size. Keep a small amount in a tin away from light, and replace it yearly. If the root looks pale and dusty, it’s lost its flavor, and the temptation to use more is the wrong direction.

Serving & frequency

A sensible serving is one 200 ml cup made with one gram of root. Enjoy it occasionally, perhaps two or three cups spread across a week, then take a break of several weeks. Daily consumption isn’t recommended, and remember licorice appears in sweets and some herbal blends, which also count toward intake.

Who should avoid

Do not drink this tea at all if you have high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have been told you have low potassium, unless your doctor says otherwise. Be cautious if you take diuretics, blood-pressure meds, digoxin, steroids, blood thinners, or diabetes medication. Swelling, headaches, muscle cramps, or a rise in blood pressure are signs to stop and see a doctor. This is food tradition, not medical advice.

Leftovers

Avoid making a large jug; the recipe is meant for a single measured cup. If you have a half-cup left, cover it, refrigerate, and finish it the same day or discard it. Reheat gently just to hot, never simmer again, and never reuse the same root for a second cup.

Try this week

Weigh one gram of licorice root on a kitchen scale, compare it to what you would have guessed, and notice the difference. Most people guess three or four times too much. That visual cue helps you stay within the safe amount.

Everyday alternatives

For a daily soothing drink, try adrak tulsi chai, haldi doodh at bedtime, or a saunf ajwain jug after dinner. Those are the everyday options in the Desi Remedies series.

Thanks for watching

Read the full post on thecareonline.com for more details, and remember this guide is tradition, not medical advice.