Licorice Roots

Licorice Roots 

Arabic name:

ﺟﺬور ﻋﺮق اﻟﺴﻮس

Medicinal Parts:

The medicinal parts are the unpeeled, dried roots and the runners, the peeled dried roots, and the rhizome with the roots. 

English name 

Licorice Roots

Latin name

• Glycyrrhiza glabra

• Glycyrrhiza typica

• Glycyrrhiza gladulifera

Family name

 Lequminosae

Constituents

• Triterpene saponins (3-15%): chief components glycyrrhetic acid, 18-

alpha-glycrrhetic acid, glycyrrhetic acid methyl ester, glabric acid, glabrolide,

uralenic acid

• Flavonoids: aglycones including liquiritigenin, isoliquiritigenin (its chalcone),

isolicoflavonol, isoliquiritin, licoricidin

• Isoflavonoids: aglycones formononetin, glabren, glabridin, glabrol, 3-

hydroxygIabrol, glycyrrhisoflavone

• Cumestan derivatives: glycyrol, isoglycyrol, liquocoumarin

• Hydroxycoumarins: including herniarin, umbelliferone, glycycoumarin, licopyranocoumarin

• Steroids: sterols, including beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol

• Volatile oil (very little): with anethole, estragole, eugenol, hexanoic acid

Action and Uses 

1. Anti-Inflammatory/Anti-platelet Effects (Licoricidin, Isoliquiritigenin)

2. Antiulcer Effects (glycyrrhetic acid, and its derivative)

3. Antiviral/Antifiingal Effects (Glycyrrhizin)

4. Mineralcorticoid Effects