Root Beer and liquorice

[Marguerite53]

Okay, I'm sure this is crazy, but thought I'd throw it out there.

I don't really like Root Beer. However, I've started a new annual event at our house (how do you entertain 20 year olds??) around Christmastime. We have taste tests. Last year it was Black Cherry Soda (by far, Boylan's is the best!) This year we did Root Beer (we all voted for Stewarts). There are lots and lots of Root Beers! I ended up buying 10 different kinds. Well, the canned variety (Barq's, A & W, Mug) didn't seem available (limited shopping days due to horrific weather conditions) in anything but 24 packs. So, I have a lot of Root Beer leftover and the 20 year olds are mostly gone (or too haughty to drink the canned stuff!! ). So, of course, I'm drinking it!

Lately my blood pressure has gone up. I've been stressed and anxious about a few things, so I just popped an extra half pill of my BP med and hoped it would calm down. So while I'm lying there in bed thump thump thumping and unable to sleep, I wonder if something new I'm consuming might have something to do with it. Aha! The root beer perhaps!

I know that Barq's had Caffeine in it. I don't drink the Barq's. The one I chose says no caffeine. So I start thinking ingredients.....

Here's what wikipedia said about liquorice which is generally a main ingredient in root beer. Don't know if we've got any liquorice fans in the group..and I"m sure they don't mean the red stuff!! but thought I'd put it out there....

Excessive consumption of liquorice or liquorice candy is known to be toxic to the liver and cardiovascular system, and may produce hypertension and edema. There have been occasional cases where blood pressure has increased with excessive consumption of liquorice tea, but such occasions are rare and reversible when the herb is withdrawn. Most cases of hypertension from liquorice were caused by eating too much concentrated liquorice candy. Doses as low as 50g daily for two weeks can cause a significant rise in blood pressure.

We'll see if I get better by laying off of the stuff! No more root beer for this gal !!

Marguerite

 

[skeptic49]

Margurite, diet Barq's is one of my favorite soft drinks. It does not contain caffeine. While iquorice is not listed as one of the ingredients, do you believe that it is used in all root beers?

Jim

 

[Bina]

Liquorice is indeed a stimulant for many of us.
I don't do the soft drink thing at all, but whenever I eat those All Sorts candy treats,
I limit myself to 3 or 4 and hubby happily pigs out on the rest.

 

[Beha]

I thought sassafras was the main "spice" used in most root beers...?

lets see what wikiepdia says "There are hundreds of root beer brands in the United States, produced in every U.S. state,[4] and there is no standardized recipe. The primary ingredient, artificial sassafras flavoring, is complemented with other flavors, common ones being vanilla, wintergreen, cherry tree bark, liquorice root, sarsaparilla root, nutmeg, anise, molasses, cinnamon and clove."

they use "artificial sassafras" because "Sassafras bark was banned by the FDA in 1976 because of the carcinogenic properties of its constituent chemical safrole"

so i guess sometimes they do use liquorice...i bet you could call the "question/ comments" line of the company and ask.

on another note Chattanooga has this brewery/ restaurant that while specializing in real beer also home brews a mean root beer. If anyone is ever in Chattanooga hit me up and I'll buy you a brew.

 

[aussigal]

Oh gees!...the things you learn...I love liquorice and always considered it to be healthy like prunes if you know what I mean!...lol...and now you tell me root beer can be made with it too...crikey!

Did you happen to take your BP Marguerite or just feel the thumping pounding similar to that from an overdose of caffeine?

 

[epstns]

Speaking of root beer "micro-breweries" -- if you are ever in St. Louis, go to Fitz's. They brew it on site, in regular and diet. They also have a restaurant attached to the brewery, and if they are bottling when you are there, the back wall of the restaurant is all windows out to the filling line. Fascinating, fun for kids, and just great root beer!

 

[ponytaila1a]

Yes, the things you learn. I had liquorice two nights ago. Not "pigged out" but more than a few pieces of the "real black" type. That night I was awakened with pound, pound, flop, flop.....followed by "after shocks". I think I will take Bina's lead and let my husband pig out on it and I'll have two or three. This site is awesome for great info!!

 

[Cooker]

I am not a fan but one time when we were visiting the Amish country we found some "home made" root beer that was not carbonated ... it was unusual to say the least but I liked it ... we bought several bottles and it stayed on hand a while and fermented and ruined ... Marguerite, how much of the stuff have you been drinking? ... It seems you would have to chug it daily for it to effect you in this way ....

 

[catwoman]

Root beer is my favorite soda (my 2nd is Dr Pepper). I also like root beer candy, popsicles, etc.

When the U.S. government outlawed sassafras bark, the taste of root beer took a hit, in my opinion.

However, I've found a number of root beers that I like. I can get Fitz's at Central Market here and like that -- will have to check out the brewery on my next trip to St. Louis. (Good jaunt for the vr.com reunion in March!!!!!)

I also like Dad's Old-Fashioned, Stewart's, Barq's.

My nephew likes root beer. A taste test would be wonderful.

 

[catwoman]

When I was in college, I was editor of the newspaper. The staff frequented a burger joint across from our journalism building on Tuesdays when we deadlined.
One of my classmates was a LSD member (Mormon), so Tom always got root beer because it had no caffeine. At that time (1970-72), apparently no root beer had caffeine.

 

[Marguerite53]

See, I knew I'd find some root beer fans out there!!

Jim. My can of Barq's says it has caffeine... by the ingredients. Mine isn't diet, maybe there's a difference.

Ton. Measured my bp at 160/80. Very high for me.

Cooker. Maybe 2 a day I guess -- just for a few days .... probably not enough to actually cause the bp to go up, but then if I have 2+ glasses of red wine several evenings in a row, the same kind of thing happens to me. Perhaps it is a sensitivity to something combined with a potential. And, I don't even know if any of these root beer I've been drinking even has licorice. I just got to googling and thought the forum might like to know about licorice candies.

Steve. Portland, Oregon is the beer capitol of the world and I believe Henry Weinhard's Root Beer can be found in several places on tap. I believe there are others, too. Please give Henry's a try if you can find some locally in bottles. You will enjoy it. Henry's Vanilla soda is fabulous, too. Next year I think we'll do Vanilla and Cream soda.

Marsha. I think the Wikipedia site gave a list of all the root beer companies....so many!!! Please, you should also try Henry's. Yummy. And Marsha. Your Mormon friend is a member of the Latter Day Saints (LDS). I'm sure he'd get a kick out of your transposing those initials. We have many, many Mormons here in the Portland Metro area.

2 days off root beer and feeling better, but not quite right yet. Probably something else. BP back to normal-ish. Decided to go on a 2 week prilosec dose because kids had me eating lots of spicy foods over the holiday and I've got that little clear your throat feeling which is probably some GERD. Will keep a watchful eye.

Marguerite

 

[Bina]

I was kinda wondering about that LSD club......
Margeurite, maybe you need a few days of water and juice to clean out your system. (not prune juice) ha ha

 

[ponygirlmom]

What brand of root beer were you drinking?

 

[Lynlw]

I was kinda wondering about that LSD club......
Margeurite, maybe you need a few days of water and juice to clean out your system. (not prune juice) ha ha

I was thinking she hung out with a fun group of people, odd they take LSD but not caffiene lol

 

[aussigal]

I was kinda wondering about that LSD club......

I'm glad you cleared that up for us Marguerite...I was rather wondering about what sort of religious group he was actually a member of...

 

[catwoman]

I'm glad you cleared that up for us Marguerite...I was rather wondering about what sort of religious group he was actually a member of...

Glad y'all passed the test I threw at y'all!!!!!!