Licorice or liquorice, a well-known flavor found in a wide variety of candies and drinks, is a plant native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. The word liquorice is derived from the Ancient Greek words for “sweet root”. In fact, licorice root extract is obtained by boiling the plant’s root and subsequently evaporating most of the water. Licorice root extract is available commercially in both solid and syrup form. Its active ingredient is glycyrrhizin, a sweetener about 50 times as sweet as regular table sugar.
As an herbal medicine, licorice root is effective in treating many ailments such as lowering bad cholesterol, combating hepatitis and relieving chronic fatigue symptoms. Moreover, because of glycyrrhizin, it is well-documented for healing ulcers and relieving irritating coughs and chest infections. Glycyrrhizin has the ability to lower stomach acid levels. Hence, licorice root is useful in easing heartburn and indigestion. Some people use licorice root to help constipation as it may also act as a mild laxative. In the respiratory system, licorice root may help sooth irritation because glycyrrhizin can aid in dissolving thick mucus, which often causes difficulty in breathing. In fact, licorice root has been used for this purpose since ancient times and are still found as an ingredient in cough syrup.
Even though licorice root is effective in treating numerous conditions, it should be noted that glycyrrhizin is classified as an agent that is “generally recognized as safe.” The European Union suggests that no more than 100mg of glycyrrhizin should be consumed per day as an overdose can raise blood pressure and cause muscle weakness. In 2004, an English woman was hospitalized for licorice overdose.
References: (1) http://www.phytochemicals.info/phytochemicals/rutin.php (2) http://www.herbalist.com/wiki.details/RUTIN/ (3) http://www.florahealth.com/flora/home/Canada/ HealthInformation/Encyclopedias/Rutin.htm
