Licorice is a spice derived from the roots of a plant that originated in China. It has been used for thousands of years as a food additive and as a medicine, the latter as a treatment for sore throats, bronchitis, gastritis, constipation and other conditions. Today licorice is used extensively to flavor confectionery, sweets, alcoholic drinks, beverages and various dishes in both the East and the West. It is also a constituent of many cough syrups and throat lozenges. Promising new research suggests that licorice is an effective agent against several pathological mechanisms and chronic diseases.

Important Phytochemicals

Antioxidants: Apigenin, carvacrol, eugenol, ferulic acid, genistein, glycyrrhetic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid, glycyrrhizin, isoquercitrin, kaempferol, lignin, lupeol, maltol, mannitol, naringenin, phenol, quercetin, salicylic acid, sinapic acid, saponins, thymol, umbelliferone

Others: Glycrrhetinic acid, glycyrrhisoflavanone, glycrrhizan,  isoflavones, licoflavones, licoricin, liquiritone

Medicinal Properties

Cancer
Licorice contains many phytochemicals, including apigenin, eugenol, ferulic acid, genistein and naringenin that have proven anticarcinogenic effects. Several of licorice’s phytochemicals also show strong antimicrobial activities that help to protect individuals infected with hepatitis B and C viruses from developing liver cancer.

Anti-inflammatory Effects
Licorice contains several important anti-inflammatory phytochemicals that appear to work through two principal mechanisms. They can directly inhibit an abnormal inflammatory response as well as enhance the anti-inflammatory potency of some steroids.

Immunomodulator
Glycerhizin is the major active phytochemical found in licorice and works both as an immunomodulator and as a potent antiviral agent. It has even been shown to be effective against HIV, protecting the immune systems of HIV-infected individuals as well as lowering their viral loads.

Stomach Ulcers
The long-standing use of licorice as a treatment for stomach ulcers and gastritis has been confirmed by recent studies which found that the activity of the ulcer-causing bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, is inhibited by several phytochemicals found in this spice.