CHEW GOTTA BE CAREFUL

Too much licorice a heart menace

Trick or treatment for an overdose?

If you go overboard with black licorice from your kid’s leftover Halloween candy stash, it could be the latter.

That’s the Food and Drug Administration’s cautionary message as Americans shelled out a monster-sized $2.7 billion on Halloween candy, which lasts for months in some households.

Gorging on old-fashioned black licorice can spell serious health problems, including irregular heart rhythm, especially for 40-somethings.

“If you’re 40 or older, eating 2 ounces of black licorice a day for at least two weeks could land you in the hospital with an irregular heart rhythm or arrhythmia,” FDA experts warn.

The culprit is glycyrrhizin, a sweetening compound derived from licorice root.

“Glycyrrhizin can cause potassium levels in the body to fall,” the FDA notes. “When that happens, some people experience abnormal heart rhythms, as well as high blood pressure, edema (swelling), lethargy, and congestive heart failure.”

Potassium levels return to normal once you stop overeating it, but experts advise not to overindulge in the first place. But despite the warning, Dr. Dara Kass, associate professor of emergency medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, hasn’t encountered a licorice overdose yet.

“The biggest (health issue) is always allergic reactions,” she tells the Daily News. “Mostly to nuts.”