Licorice Root Extract

Licorice Root Extract is from the licorice plants called Glycyrrhiza Glabra and Glycyrrhiza Uralensis. It contains glycyrrhizin, a very sweet syrup or powder which has medicinal properties.

The Licorice Root Extract is obtained by pounding the root of the plant, boiling it in water, then evaporating the liquid. Partial evaporation results in a syrup; further evaporation results in a gold-brown crystalline powder. The licorice powder is 50 times sweeter than sugar.

Licorice Root Extract is being studied for its anti-viral effects. In laboratory studies on cells, hen eggs and animals it has a protective effect against Influenza A (Avian Influenza or Bird Flu) and SARS. It is active against a variety of other DNA and RNA viri. Swine Flu and Brisbane Flu are DNA/RNA viri.
Research Articles on Licorice Root Extract.

Properties of Licorice Root Extract:

• Influenza: anti-viral effects on Influenza (H2N2, Avian influenza, Bird Flu), Newcastle Disease (affecting mainly chickens and birds) and SARS;
  • reduces permeability of membranes (inhibits viral penetration) in cells;
  • it has positive effects on T-cells which are then transferable to other animals with positive results against influenza - thus it can be used to prepare a vaccine;
• HIV: reduces permeability of cell membranes to HIV virus.
• Herpes Simplex: inactivates herpes simplex particles irreversibly.
• Hepatitis B: used widely in Japan by medical practioners for the treatment of Hepatitis B patients - though this is done on the basis of its use as a traditional medicine, not on the basis of clinical trials in humans;
• Bacteria:
  • anti-Streptococcus Mutans (a tooth bacteria);
  • anti-Helicobacter Pylori (an ulcer bacteria);

Key Research Article:
"The antiviral effect of glycyrrhizin (GR), an active component of licorice roots, was investigated in mice infected with influenza virus A2 (H2N2). When mice that had been exposed to 10 50% lethal doses of the virus were treated intraperitoneally with 10 mg of GR per kg of body weight 1 day before infection and 1 and 4 days postinfection, all of the mice survived over the 21-day experimental period. At the end of this period, the mean survival time (in days) for control mice treated with saline was 10.5 days, and there were no survivors."
Source: Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1997 Mar;41(3):551-6.
Title: Glycyrrhizin, an active component of licorice roots, reduces morbidity and mortality of mice infected with lethal doses of influenza virus.
Author: Utsunomiya T, Kobayashi M, Pollard RB, Suzuki F. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston 77555, USA.

Scientific Data on Licorice Root Extract:

• Synonyms:
  • glycyrrhizin; the mixture also contains glycyrrhizinic acid;
  • (3-beta,20-beta)-20-carboxy-11-oxo-30-norolean-12-en-3-yl 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranuronosyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid.
• Name Origin: from the ancient Greek word "glukurrhiza" meaning "sweet rhizome".
• Chemical Type: triterpene glycoside.
• Solubility: soluble in water and alcohol.
• Metabolite: glycyrrhetic acid after hydrolysis.
• Laboratory Extraction: "The separation and purification of glycyrrhizin from a methanol-water (70:30 (v/v)) extract of liquorice roots was achieved using high-speed counter-current chromatography." See the following for more details: Jiang Y, Lu HT, Chen F. J Chromatogr A. 2004 Apr 9;1033(1):183-6. Preparative purification of glycyrrhizin extracted from the root of liquorice using high-speed counter-current chromatography.

The Licorice Plant

Glycyrrhiza plants are members of the Fabaceae (bean) family. The Glabra species is found wild throughout Southern Europe and was classified by Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778), a Swedish botanist.

The Uralensis species is common in China and Russia and was classified by Friedrich Ernst Ludwig Fischer (1707-1854), a German-born Russian botanist.

The plant is a perennial shrub that grows to a height of 1.2 to 1.5 metres and has pinnate leaves about 7 - 15 cms in length. The flower is purple though sometimes light blue. It bears seeded pods of 2 - 3 cms length on its branches. However, it is from the underground stems that licorice root extract is obtained.

There is more licorice root extract in the Chinese variety. Production from the plant can be increased greatly by raising the red and ultra-violet part of the light spectrum in the herbarium.

Historical Uses of Licorice Root Extract:

• In Europe licorice has been used as:
  • a remedy for coughs, consumption, bronchitis and asthma due to its carminative and expectorant properties;
  • a flavoring for many desserts, confectionaries (Licorice!) and alcoholic drinks;
  • a treament for settling the stomach and for the treatment of ulcers;
  • a flavoring for tobacco and snuff.
• In China licorice has been used in accordance with principles of Chinese Qi medical theories as:
  • a tonic;
  • an expectorant;
  • for its rejuvenating properties;
  • gastric and duodenal ulcers.
• In India licorice has been used in accordance with Ayurvedic medical theories for:
  • inflamation of the joints;
  • peptic ulcers;
  • constipation.