A Potently Sweet and Powerful Herb Remarkable for Digestion
Licorice Root Elixir
Licorice root can bring relief to problems like liver disease, stomach pain, ulcers, and bacterial overgrowth when used with care.
With a sweet taste and potent properties, licorice root is a strong herbal ally for digestion. The same compound in licorice root that makes it 50 times sweeter than sugar—glycyrrhizin—is also naturally antimicrobial and antioxidant, as well as protective against tumors and viruses. Antioxidants can bind to unstable molecules called free radicals or reactive oxidative species that contribute to many diseases.
In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), licorice root is used for balancing qi—life force—specifically in the spleen, which is considered to be vital for the whole body and the digestive system. It is broadly regarded in Eastern and Western medicine for its specific anti-inflammatory gastrointestinal uses in liver diseases and cancer, heartburn, ulcers, and stomach pain.
The antimicrobial properties of licorice could also have a powerful effect on many other microbial conditions affecting gut health that involve high levels of bacteria, viruses, and fungi.
The 2022 review summarized several promising studies showing the potential for licorice to stop the growth of infection-causing microbes, though dosage and sourcing varied. The studies were conducted in vitro, meaning outside the human body.
Research in the 2022 review also illustrated that licorice could kill Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Candida albicans. An overgrowth of E. coli in the gut can cause diarrhea, stomach cramping, stomach pain, nausea, and vomiting. Candida overgrowth has been linked to IBD.
Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) responds well to licorice, as well. H. pylori overgrowth causes peptic ulcers and can lead to gastric cancer.
“Licorice root is really loved for ulcers and for heartburn—whenever there’s a burning, painful sensation—because it’s very cooling and soothing and very mucilaginous in nature,” herbalist Rosalee de la Forêt told The Epoch Times.
A 2014 study published in Pharmacognosy Research compared licorice with bismuth subsalicylate in patients undergoing treatment with three additional medications for H.pylori infections.
Both the licorice and bismuth treatment approaches worked effectively on pain and healing tissue, confirmed by exams. The study authors noted that research has shown licorice may be useful for killing all H.pylori strains rapidly and alleviating symptoms of ulcers—without adverse effects on other healthy gastrointestinal flora.
Another study, published in the Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research in 2015, demonstrated the efficacy of licorice for ulcers and noted that while drugs work well for peptic ulcer diseases, they are costly and have limited use due to side effects.
“Researchers are now focused on antiulcer agents that are less expensive, less toxic and very effective. Medicinal plants are among the most attractive sources of new drugs with hopeful results in peptic ulcer management,” the article stated.
Borrowed from Unknown