Licorice extract has been
study extensively for the last 50 years and many specific medical
uses have been discovered. The following are only a few of the most
important uses of licorice extract and its derivatives:
Licorice extract is altered
by special bacteria in the intestine into an active compound called
18 beta glycyrrhetic acid (18 beta GA). 18 beta GA is then absorbed
into the blood stream and flows to certain organs where it inhibits
an enzyme called 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11
beta HSD-2). 11 beta HSD-2 is the enzyme that converts vital
cortisol to inactive cortisone thereby deactivating cortisol. By
inhibiting this enzyme and slowing the deactivation of cortisol
in the body, licorice is able to extend the bioactivity of this
vital hormone (abstracts).
Licorice extract not only
boost cortisol bioactivity, but the herb also boost the effects
of mineralocorticoids by inhibiting two key enzymes in the break
down of aldosterone, the principal sodium retaining hormone (abstract).
Both the cortisol and aldosterone effects of licorice are very valuable
to those with chronic fatigue syndrome and/or adrenal insufficiency.
Licorice extract can increase
sodium appetite (abstract),
and help the body retain sodium and increase blood pressure. But
this ability of licorice to help those who need to retain more sodium
and raise their blood pressure is viewed by many medical professionals
as dangerous simply because the herb can also increases blood pressure
in people with salt-sensitive hypertension. Those medical professionals
who pound the table warning everybody about the dangers of licorice
fail to realize that the herb can be of great benefit to those with
low to normal blood pressure. As a result of this bias, most of
the medical articles written about the herb are slanted toward scaring
everyone away, rather than pointing out the benefits of those with
hypotension and chronic fatigue syndrome (abstracts).
Licorice also increase blood
pressure in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) by increasing the sensitivity
of blood vessels to vasoconstrictors (abstract).
Due to antiviral properties,
licorice products are often used to treat AIDS, hepatitis and other
viral illnesses. (GA
as an antiviral). The herb is also active against herpes virus
(abstract)
and may help reduce HHV6.
Licorice extract has many
antioxidant properties. (abstracts
supporting licorice as an antioxidant).
Licorice extract can protect
the stomach from damage by aspirin (abstracts).
Aspirin is a nitric oxide inhibitor and can be of great value to
people with inflammatory illness. (Taking three aspirin can sometimes
relieve severe bouts of fatigue within thirty minutes.)
Licorice extract has been
used for five thousand years to calm stomach distress and treat
ulcers. The greatest benefit most people report who take licorice
is the calming of their irritable bowel. (abstracts
indicating the actions of licorice in the gut)
Researchers have recently
discovered an ingredient in licorice extract that prevents the build-up
of cholesterol in arteries. The ingredient, glabridin, delays the
oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad" cholesterol,
a main contributing factor to increased cholesterol on arterial
walls that leads to arteriosclerosis or narrowing of the arteries.
