Liquiritia officinalis Moench (= G. glabra L.); and others Fabaceae (Leguminosae) Gancao; glycyrrhiza; licorice; sweet root Glycyrrhizae radix; Liquiritiae radix Root and stolon The main active constituents are the triterpene glycosides such as glycyrrhizin (also known as glycyrrhizic or glycyrrhizinic acid) and its aglycone glycyrrhetinic acid, liquiritic acid, glycyrretol, glabrolide, isoglaborlide and others; flavonoids including liquiritin apioside, liquiritin, isoliquiritin and glabrol; isoflavonoids such as glabrene and glabridin, coumarins (e.g. liqcoumarin, glabrocoumarones A and B, herniarin and glycyrin), and many other compounds including polysaccharides (glycyrrhizan GA), and an essential oil containing anethole, linallol, fenchone (Asl and Hosseinzadeh 2008; EMA 2013; ESCOP 2003; Williamson et al. 2013). Several clinical trials using liquorice extract in gastrointestinal and ulcerative conditions have been performed, but no meaningful conclusions can be drawn due to the small size of the studies (EMA 2013). Clinical studies assessing the effect of deglycyrrhizinated liquorice extract (i.e. from which the glycyrrhizinic acid has been removed) on gastric and duodenal ulcers have found positive effects (Engqvist et al. 1973; Feldman and Gilat 1971; Hollanders et al. 1978), and a commercial product of liquorice (a flavonoid-rich root extract of G. glabra) in patients with functional dyspepsia showed beneficial effects on relief of the symptoms (Raveendra et al. 2012). A study investigating the efficacy of bioadhesive patches containing liquorice extract to control the pain and reduce the healing time of recurrent apthous ulcers (Moghadamnia et al. 2009) showed that the patches were effective in the reduction of pain and inflammation of the ulcers, but the study was small. No clinical studies are available to support the use of liquorice as an expectorant, despite its very wide usage for this purpose. Liquorice is present in combination products with ivy (Hedera helix L.) and thyme (Thymus vulgaris L.) aerial parts for cough relief (EMA 2013).
Liquorice
Glycyrrhiza glabra L., G. inflata Batalin, G. uralensis Fisch. ex DC.
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