A painful joint can really slow you down. Autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, cause inflammation in your joints which in turn cause pain and make it difficult to move them. Other inflammatory conditions, including peptic ulcers and gastritis, lead to stomach pain. There are numerous prescription and over-the-counter medications available to treat pain from inflammation, but you may want to try a more natural approach. Licorice is a sweet-tasting herb that has been used as an herbal remedy and a flavoring for food for centuries. Licorice appears to have some pain-relieving properties, but consult your physician before using it.
About Licorice
Licorice, or Glycyrrhiza glabra, is one of the most widely used herbal remedies worldwide. Licorice is a member of the pea family of plants and also called "sweet root" because it is 50 times sweeter than sucrose, or table sugar. The dark, wrinkled roots and underground stems are the parts of this perennial flowering herb collected for medicinal use. Licorice is used to treat pain and inflammation caused by stomach ulcers, arthritis, eczema, bronchitis and sore throat. Use peeled or unpeeled licorice roots exactly as directed by your physician in a decoction, or tea; it is also available as a tincture and an extract.
Licorice for Stomach Pain
Licorice is a demulcent, or soothing, herb that may be beneficial for relieving the pain of a number of digestive disorders, including stomach ulcers, heartburn and gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach. A 2005 laboratory study performed at Al-Isra University in Amman, Jordan, found an aqueous licorice extract to be effective in reducing inflammation associated with stomach ulcers. Licorice doesn't relieve pain by reducing the production of stomach acid. It appears to work by decreasing inflammation and increasing the production of mucin, which coats the mucous membranes of the digestive tract to protect them from the painful effects of stomach acid. Licorice extract may also protect you from developing an ulcer when taking aspirin for pain.
Pain Associated With Arthritis
Licorice may also help relieve pain caused by inflammation associated with certain autoimmune arthritis conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. More clinical studies are needed, but a 2010 laboratory study published in the "Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology" states extracts of licorice and roasted licorice were effective in blocking the pre-inflammatory process of acute and chronic inflammation. However, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine warns that there is not yet enough reliable clinical evidence to determine whether licorice is effective for reducing inflammation and pain.
Precautions
There are two forms of licorice extracts--a standard licorice extract which contains glycyrrhizin, and another which is de-glycyrrhizinated, called DGL. The side effects of standard licorice extract with glycyrrhizin include water retention, high blood pressure, potassium deficiency and headache; standard licorice isn't usually used for inflammatory conditions. DGL, which is used for stomach conditions, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, appears to be safer and doesn't produce serious side effects. Inform your doctor if you are pregnant or have heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease or liver disease before taking licorice to reduce pain from inflammation.
References
- AltMD: Licorice
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Licorice; Steven D Ehrlich; March 31, 2010
- University of Michigan Health System: Licorice
- "AAPS PharmSciTech"; Licorice: A Possible Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Ulcer Drug; A.M. Aly et al.; September 2005
- "Journal of Biomedicine and Boitechnology"; Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Licorice and Roasted Licorice Extracts on TPA-Induced Acute Inflammation and Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Mice; K.R. Kim et al.; March 2010
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Licorice
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