Licorice root has been used in traditional medicine to treat a wide variety of illnesses. You can take licorice root to treat the common cold, skin conditions, digestive tract problems and canker sores. Licorice root contains the active ingredient glycyrrhiza, which can produce serious side effects. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL, is most commonly used because it doesn't produce the same side effects. Licorice root is available in powders to make teas or made into tablets and capsules.
Treating Upper Respiratory Infections
Licorice root has been used as a traditional medicinal remedy for asthma and cough. Today, licorice is still used for certain upper respiratory infections and conditions, such as colds, cough, hay fever and asthma. You can take whole licorice or licorice root powder as an expectorant for cough, asthma and other respiratory problems, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Easing Gastrointestinal Conditions
You can use licorice root powder to treat a wide range of gastrointestinal ailments, some as commonplace as indigestion and others as serious as peptic ulcers. You can take licorice root in combination with peppermint and chamomile herbs to help relieve indigestion and symptoms related to gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, notes the University of Maryland Medical Center. Licorice root powder containing DGL can help to treat GERD and peptic ulcers. Several medical studies have found that taking DGL and antacids can help to treat ulcers as effectively as some prescription medications, states the University of Maryland Medical Center. Animal studies have suggested that licorice may also prevent stomach ulcers, especially those caused by taking anti-inflammatory medications and aspirin. In test tube trials, the flavonoids in licorice root were found to kill Heliocobacter pylori, the bacterium that causes stomach inflammation and most ulcers.
Treating Skin Conditions
Licorice root powder may help to treat certain skin conditions, such as eczema, melasma, herpes and shingles as well as psoriasis. You can apply topical creams or ointments containing whole licorice or licorice root powder to help treat these skin diseases, but scientific evidence supports licorice's effectiveness in treating only eczema so far, reports the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Applying a licorice gel to the skin helped to relive itching, swelling and redness symptoms from eczema, according to a study cited by the University of Maryland Medical Center. The licorice extract called liquiritin has also been used as a topical treatment for the skin condition melasma, which is a pigmentation disorder.
Easing Pain From Canker Sores
The DGL in licorice may help to relieve your pain from canker sores. The University of Maryland Medical Center cites a small study that found gargling with licorice root powder dissolved in warm water four times daily helped in reducing pain associated with canker sores. DGL can help to ease discomfort from other mouth sores as well and may be effective when uses in a dissolving patch placed over the sores. Preliminary studies have found that using DGL as a mouthwash helped to speed up the healing of canker sores, reports the University of Michigan Health System.
Treating Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
The glycyrrhizin contained in licorice root powder may act like certain adrenal hormones in your body. This action makes the non-DGL licorice root a potential treatment for chronic fatigue syndrome, or CFS, because people with CFS tend to suffer from low levels of these hormones, explains the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Licorice root can stimulate the adrenal glands and prevent the breakdown of active cortisol in your body. In one case study, a man with CFS experienced an improvement in his symptoms after taking 2 1/2 g of licorice root per day. "While there have been no controlled trials to test licorice in patients with CFS, it may be worth a trial of six to eight weeks using 2 to 3 grams of licorice root daily," the University of Michigan Health System recommends. Raising the adrenal hormone aldosterone can cause serious side effects, such as headaches, high blood pressure and heart problems, so you must use glycyrrhizin-containing licorice root powder to treat CFS only under a doctor's close, careful supervision.
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