Liquorice
Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is a herb with thousands of years of medical usage. It was called glukoriza, which means sweet root, by the physician Dioscorides, but was in use for at least two thousand years before that. The Egyptians took it as a tonic to build stamina and vitality, the Romans to stop hunger and thirst on military campaigns, and the Chinese still use it to increase Qi and restore the glands. Today, most of the liquorice cultivated is used to sweeten tobacco.
A decoction of the root is demulcent and anti-inflammatory, two properties which are useful for soothing inflammation in the respiratory system. Furthermore, liquorice is antibacterial and antiviral in activity so is can help fight common respiratory diseases. It is also an expectorant, a class of herbs which ease the congestion of catarrh in the respiratory system and can be used to treat chronic coughs, bronchitis and COPD.
More recently it has been discovered that the liquorice constituent glycyrrhizic acid binds the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID) , as well as inhibiting the entry of this coronavirus into the host cell.1 It combines well with turmeric and vitamin C to manage dangerous inflammatory responses,2 while zinc, garlic, echinacea, white horehound and other respiratory or immune herbs, are well-indicated.
Liquorice is also used to treat inflammation in the digestive system where it will ease constipation with its laxative effect, increase protective mucus production and promote healing. Both liquorice and slippery elm are also regulators of gut bacteria, resulting in a more healthy, anti-inflammatory profile in cases of dysbiosis and leaky gut. Liquorice can be mixed with 4 parts slippery elm to make a gruel and can be taken before meals in order to soothe and heal mucus membranes in the case of acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome or peptic ulcer.3–5 Omega-3, garlic and probiotics can be used with liquorice to inhibit H-pylori.6
Liquorice is also a gland tonic, adding to the multifaceted picture of this herb as being what Peter Holmes calls, ‘a complete maintenance botanical’. In cases of ‘burn out’ or chronic fatigue it is used as an adrenal tonic because it spares cortisol by inhibiting cortisol’s conversion to the inactive metabolite cortisone. It also calms the mind and nervous system, raises mood, while simultaneously increasing Qi energy, thus supporting a body debilitated by overwork and stress.7 Other useful herbs to treat stress are oat seed and ashwagandha, along with key vitamins and minerals (magnesium, potassium, zinc, B-vitamins, vitamin C).
Liquorice can also help with several women’s complaints, especially when combined with other herbs. In the case of polycystic ovarian syndrome, liquorice will reduce hyperandrogenism and balance oestrogen when taken with paeony, along with cinnamon for the insulin resistance; for nausea during pregnancy it can be combined with ginger; and in menopause has been found effective in treating vaginal atrophy.8–11
Apart from the many actions this herb has on different systems of the body, when used in combination with other herbs, liquorice will enhance their activity. Nevertheless, compounds in liquorice (glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhizinate, glycyrrhetinic acid) will also raise blood pressure and cause hypokalaemia when consumed in large quantities—tea or confectionry—due to the activation of renal mineralocorticoid receptors by elevated cortisol. For patients with high blood pressure we can use deglycyrrhizinated liquorice (DGL) instead.12,13
This Article appears in the 2021 eBook edition of Wholefoods And Common medicinal Herbs.
Disclaimer:
This article is intended for the purpose of general education only, and is not a substitute for a diagnosis, treatment advice, or a prescription given in a consultation with a qualified physician.
References:
1. Sinha SK, Prasad SK, Islam MA, et al. Identification of bioactive compounds from Glycyrrhiza glabra as possible inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein and non-structural protein-15: a pharmacoinformatics study. J Biomol Struct Dyn 2020;1–15.
2. Chen L, Hu C, Hood M, et al. A Novel Combination of Vitamin C, Curcumin and Glycyrrhizic Acid Potentially Regulates Immune and Inflammatory Response Associated with Coronavirus Infections: A Perspective from System Biology Analysis. Nutrients 2020;12.
3. Peterson CT, Sharma V, Uchitel S, et al. Prebiotic Potential of Herbal Medicines Used in Digestive Health and Disease. J Altern Complement Med 2018;24:656–65.
4. Jalilzadeh-Amin G, Najarnezhad V, Anassori E, Mostafavi M, Keshipour H. Antiulcer properties of Glycyrrhiza glabra L. extract on experimental models of gastric ulcer in mice. Iran J Pharm Res 2015;14:1163–70.
5. Asha MK, Debraj D, Prashanth D, et al. In vitro anti-Helicobacter pylori activity of a flavonoid rich extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra and its probable mechanisms of action. J Ethnopharmacol 2013;145:581–6.
6. Han Y-M, Park J-M, Jeong M, et al. Dietary, non-microbial intervention to prevent Helicobacter pylori-associated gastric diseases. Ann Transl Med 2015;3:122.
7. Holmes P. The Energetics of Western Herbs. Artemis; 1989.
8. Arentz S, Abbott JA, Smith CA, Bensoussan A. Herbal medicine for the management of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and associated oligo/amenorrhoea and hyperandrogenism; a review of the laboratory evidence for effects with corroborative clinical findings. BMC Complement Altern Med 2014;14:511.
9. Arentz S, Smith CA, Abbott J, Fahey P, Cheema BS, Bensoussan A. Combined Lifestyle and Herbal Medicine in Overweight Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Randomized Controlled Trial. Phytother Res 2017;31:1330–40.
10. Rashidi Fakari F, Simbar M, Nasab MB, Ghazanfarpour M, Rashidi Fakari F. A Review of Pharmacological Treatments for Vaginal Atrophy in Postmenopausal Women in Iran. J Menopausal Med 2020;26:104–11.
11. Volqvartz T, Vestergaard AL, Aagaard SK, et al. Use of alternative medicine, ginger and licorice among Danish pregnant women – a prospective cohort study. BMC Complement Altern Med 2019;19:5.
12. Sontia B, Mooney J, Gaudet L, Touyz RM. Pseudohyperaldosteronism, liquorice, and hypertension. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich) 2008;10:153–7.
13. Kwon YE, Oh D-J, Choi HM. Severe asymptomatic hypokalemia associated with prolonged licorice ingestion: A case report. Medicine (Baltimore) 2020;99:e21094.