Derived from the root of the plant, licorice has been used as a flavoring and sweetening agent. It is also  used in traditional Chinese medicine to detoxify, and enhance or balance the effects of other components in herbal formulations; as well as in Ayurveda as a tonic, expectorant and a demulcent. A number of compounds including glycyrrhizin are thought to be responsible for its biological effects.

Preclinical studies have shown that licorice has antibacterial ^(2) (27), antiviral ⁽⁴⁸⁾, anticancer ^{(3) (4) (28) (29)}, anti-inflammatory ⁽³⁰⁾, and hepatoprotective ⁽⁴⁹⁾ properties. It also demonstrated estrogenic effects ⁽¹⁰⁾, reduced cardiotoxicity associated with doxorubicin ⁽³¹⁾, and improved the antitumor effects of cyclophosphamide ⁽³²⁾.

Clinical data suggest utility of licorice in lowering dyspepsia ⁽¹⁾, hyperlipidemia ⁽³³⁾, and concurrent intake of a glycyrrhizin-containing product during alcohol consumption was shown to afford hepatoprotection ⁽⁵⁰⁾. When combined with fermented milk containing Lactobacillus paracasei, licorice was shown to reduce bacterial density and to improve histologic inflammation in patients with H. pylori infection ⁽⁶²⁾. Further, preoperative gargling with licorice solution affected significant reductions in postoperative sore throat when compared to gargling with sugar water ⁽⁵¹⁾. A systematic review also suggests benefits of preoperative use of topical licorice for preventing postoperative sore throat ⁽⁶³⁾. Additional studies reported licorice, taken orally, to be useful in improving symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease ⁽⁶⁷⁾; as a mouthwash to improve xerostomia in hemodialysis patients ⁽⁵²⁾; and as a mucoadhesive film, with comparable efficacy as triamcinolone, for managing oral mucositis during radiotherapy ⁽⁵³⁾.

It is important to note that chronic ingestion of even moderate doses of licorice has been associated with hypertension and hypokalemia ^(54) (68).