Licorice is a plant that has been used for flavoring and medicinally for many centuries. This plant, also known as sweet wood, sweet licorice and the Chinese name Gan cao, originated in Asia, but is now cultivated all over the world, according to Medicinal Herb Info. The root of the licorice plant is dried and ground into a powder for use in tea, capsules, liquid extracts and tablets reports the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine. Before you begin to take licorice, discuss its use with your health care provider.
Insomnia Relief
Studies suggest that you may want to drink a cup of licorice tea before bed if you have insomnia. A study conducted at both the Korea Food Research Institute in Republic of Korea and at The University of Tokyo in Japan looked at the potential for medicinal plants including licorice for treating insomnia. The research study's results were published in the August 2010 issue of "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" and described on the PubMed.gov website. This study showed that licorice helped the test subjects fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Skin Pigmentation
After a skin injury or inflammation, many people have a resulting change in the skin's pigment. A study published in the July 2010 edition of "The Journal of Clinical & Aesthetic Dermatology" concluded that licorice extract may help reduce post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, or skin discoloration after injury. Soak a cloth with licorice tea and apply it to the discolored area of skin.
Treat Periodontitis
When infection damages the tooth supporting tissues in the mouth, the condition is called periodontitis. This condition may be improved by drinking licorice tea. A study that took place at Laval University in Quebec City, Canada found that licorice was beneficial in treating periodontitis. The study's results were published in the August 2010 issue of "Journal of Periodontology" and show great promise for treatment of this condition using licorice.
Reduce Inflammation
Licorice tea is a powerful anti-inflammatory treatment. A study conducted at National Chung Hsing University Department of Food Science and Biotechnology in Taiching, Taiwan and published in the August 2010 edition of "Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry" found licorice to be an effective nutraceutical for treatment of inflammation.
Liver Protection
Drinking licorice tea may be able to protect your liver from damage according to a study at Seoul National University College of Pharmacology in Seoul, Korea that was published in the August 2010 issue of "Antioxidants & Redox Signaling." The study concluded that a flavonoid found in licorice, liquiritigenin, was effective in helping the liver resist damage from substances that normally cause liver damage.
Hepatitis Treatment
One traditional use for licorice was as a treatment for hepatitis. A study held at Central South University Pharmacogenetics Research Institute in Hunan, People's Republic of China and published in the August 2010 issue of "European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology" concluded that the glycyrrhizin contained in licorice was able to modestly reduce the effects of hepatitis.
References
- PubMed.gov: Inhibition of LXRalpha-dependent steatosis and oxidative injury by liquiritigenin, a licorice flavonoid, as mediated with Nrf2 activation.
- PubMed.gov: Effect of glycyrrhizin on the activity of CYP3A enzyme in humans.
- Medicinal Herb Info: Licorice
- U.S. National Library of Medicine: Licorice
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Licorice
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