Licorice, which is also called mulethi, belongs to the legume family. This herb is used widely as a flavoring agent in toothpaste, chewing gum, sweets, beverages like beer or soft drinks. The dried licorice root is used for many medicinal purposes. In fact, it is widely consumed for medicinal benefits all around the world.

Licorice contains glycyrrhizin which makes it get the characteristic sweet taste. It is much sweeter than table sugar. Besides, licorice root also has a wide source of flavonoids and nutrients. In addition, this root is an excellent source of vitamin E and B vitamins. It also contains minerals such as phosphorous, choline, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, selenium, zinc, and silicon.

Top 10 Health Benefits Of Licorice Root You should Know

It is found that licorice root has a storehouse of essential phytonutrients, including thymol, beta-carotene, quercetin, and phenol. People often use it for medicial purposes because of its expectorant, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, demulcent, laxative, antiviral, antibacterial, antioxidant, antitumor, antifungal properties.

It is not difficult to find licorice root in the market. You can find it in many different forms like sticks, dried root, extract, powder, or capsule. However, you’d better consult your doctor’s advice before using it as a medical aid. In this article, VKool.com will present to you top 10 health benefits of licorice root. This article listed the best advantages of consuming this root from reliable sources. However, it is only for the informational target and it is not aimed to give medical advice. Continue reading this writing to understand more!

1. Fight Respiratory Infections

The first health benefit in the list of 10 health benefits of licorice root is to fight respiratory tract infections including cold, cough, asthma, and sore throat. This root contains antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which can assist you in reducing inflammation of your bronchial tubes as well as in calming your airways. Moreover, it may loosen and thin the mucus in airways and thereby easing congestion and coughing.

Besides, licorice root also has antibacterial, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties. All these properties will help you to fight microbes which lead to respiratory illnesses and prevent the overproduction of mucus.

• Hence, when you suffer from any respiratory problem, you should drink some tea made from licorice root until you get rid of the symptoms.
• You may also mix the licorice powder (½ teaspoon) with a little honey and the consume it 2 times per day for a few days.
• Or when you want to soothe throat irritation, let suck on a few licorice candies to feel better.

2. Protect Your Liver

Do you know that licorice also has the ability to help you fight liver disorders such as hepatitis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and jaundice? Thanks to the natural antioxidant property in licorice, it will protect your liver from being damaged by toxic materials and free radicals. Additionally, its anti-inflammatory property also helps you to soothe the liver inflammation which is caused by hepatitis.

In the Phytotherapy Research journal published in 2024, a study showed that the extract of licorice root can assist patients suffering from the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in getting relief from this condition. So, now, let drink a cup of tea made from licorice to promote your liver health.

• In order to make the licorice tea, you firstly add the licorice root (½ teaspoon) in 1 cup of hot water.
• Next, you cover and steep it for about 5 to 12 minutes and then strain it.
• You should remember to drink this tea once a day for a week. After that, you take a break for about 2 weeks and then repeat.
• Or you may also get licorice supplements according to your doctor’s advice.

Learn more: Foods for a clean and healthy liver

3. Support Oral Health

Another benefit in the list of 10 health benefits of licorice root is to support your oral health. Its antimicrobial and antibacterial properties may prevent the development of cavity-causing bacteria, fight bad breath, reduce plaque as well as keep your teeth along with gums strong and healthy.

In fact, a study which was published in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural Products in 2024 confirmed the benefits of licorice root in oral health care.

Also in 2024, in another study published in the Anaerobe journal, some researchers were successful in gaving the green light to use the extract of licorice root in oral hygiene products like mouthwash and toothpaste.

·        Therefore, you should use a little powder of dried licorice root to brush your teeth or you can use a mouthwash which contains licorice to maintain your oral health.

·        Besides, you may also get a soft stick of licorice to brush your teeth every day.

4.  Ease The Menopausal Symptoms

Licorice may even help you in treating many problems related to menopause. Thanks to the phytoestrogenic compounds, licorice will help you to treat the hormonal imbalance in your body and thereby easing symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, depression, vaginal dryness, mood swings, and insomnia.

In addition, licorice contains B vitamins, which will have the ability to regulate hormones such as progesterone and estrogen and thereby helping you to fight the symptoms of this condition.

However, before consuming licorice root extract, you should consult the advice of your doctor to get the correct dosage.

Read more: Home remedies for treating menopause symptoms effectively

5. Get Rid Of Depression

Licorice root can also have the ability to treat depression. It contains glycyrrhizin that can improve the functioning of your adrenal glands. This will help you to get rid of nervousness and depression.

Additionally, this root has a rich source of essential minerals such as magnesium, beta-carotene, and calcium as well as flavonoids which help in lifting depression.

For women, licorice is even helpful in defeating pre-menopausal and post-menopausal depression. According to a study issued in the Journal of Molecular Neuroscience in 2003, licorice can inhibit serotonin re-uptake and thereby treating mild to moderate depression in women at that age.

You may consume licorice tea or take licorice supplements to keep depression at bay. Remember to consult the doctor before taking any supplement.

Read more: Top 8 common physical symptoms of depression people should know

6. Fight Arthritis Symptoms

Licorice contains anti-inflammatory properties which may help in fighting chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis.

This herb has an aspirin which can assist in soothing swelling and pain. Here are 2 common symptoms of this disease. In addition, it will reduce free-radical damage leading to pain and inflammation.

According to the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology, it was found that thanks to the anti-inflammatory effects, the extract of roasted licorice is beneficial in treating and preventing arthritis. Keep reading this writing if you want to discover more other useful benefits of licorice root for health.

See more: Best natural treatments for arthritis in legs and hands

7. Boost Your Immunity

A strong and healthy immune system is very important to protect your body from viruses, infections, and bad bacteria.

Licorice can aid in producing chemicals which are called macrophage and lymphocytes. This production will improve the body’s natural defense mechanism. Besides, powerful antioxidants contained in it also help in boosting immunity.

Hence, to boost your immune system, let drink some cups of licorice tea or take supplements after getting your doctor’s advice.

8. Aid In Reducing Weight

Obesity is known as a serious condition which you can defeat by the help of licorice. The flavonoids in licorice will help ease excessive fat accumulation in your body.

In the Obesity Research & Clinical Practice journal, it is found that the licorice flavonoid oil can be beneficial in reducing total body fat as well as visceral fat in people suffering from overweight.

People who consume 900 mg of the licorice flavonoid oil per day for 8 weeks had a significant decrease in body weight, visceral fat area, and body mass index (BMI).

Consuming licorice flavonoid oil or licorice root daily may help in preventing and treating obesity. However, you should avoid eating licorice candy loaded with added sugar.

Learn more: The book of 3 week diet

9. Heal Canker Sores

If you are suffering from canker sores, licorice will be a good choice.
Due to the anti-inflammatory as well as mucosa-healing properties in it, licorice will help you to get rid of canker sores quickly. Besides, it can also help you to fight the herpes virus.

• You ‘d better chew 2 capsules of 200 mg deglycyrrhizinated licorice for 2 or 3 times a day to get the best results/
• Or you may also dissolve some DGL pills in water and then gargle with it four times a day.

10. Combat Digestive Ailments

The last benefit in the list of 10 benefits of licorice root is to treat digestive problems like constipation, acidity, stomach ulcers, heartburn, inflammation of the lining of your stomach, or acid reflux. The ability to mild laxative of licorice plays a vital role in controlling bowel movements.

Besides, licorice contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that can ease inflammation in your stomach as well as protect your stomach’s inner lining from being infected.

• To use licorice for digestive aid, you firstly add a teaspoon of licorice powder in 1 cup of hot water.
• Next, you cover and steep for about 10 minutes and then strain it.
• You should drink this tea twice or thrice a day for 1 week.
• You may also consume the capsule of 250mg to 500mg of standardized deglycyrrhizinated licorice for 3 times per day after getting your doctor’s advice.

Warnings:

• Remember to avoid consuming large amounts of licorice for more than 2 weeks, because it may be harmful. It can lead to side effects such as high blood pressure, metabolism abnormalities, and fluid retention.
• If you take anti-hypertensive or diuretics drugs, let consult the healthcare practitioner before you take it.
• If you are suffering from diabetes, low potassium level, or kidney disease, remember to avoid licorice altogether.
• Licorice root is not suitable for infants or pregnant women.

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If you want to know more about benefits of other ingredients, please go to our main Health page. After reading the article of top 10 health benefits of licorice root, hope that it can help you find out the best benefits of consuming licorice root. However, the article is only for the informational purpose; therefore, you should see your doctor in order to get the advice. If you have any question, please leave the comments below, I will respond you as soon as possible.  And if you know other health benefits of licorice root, please leave them below.

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