Health and Herbs
Liquorice Root Stick Whole 100g

One of the most popular uses for liquorice root is to help with some digestive issues, like indigestion, upset stomachs, heart burn and acid reflux. Acid reflux is a normal process in the body to help the food we eat get digested. It usually only becomes an issue when stomach acid travels up the oesophagus and causes heartburn and pain.

There is a strain of bacteria called H. plyori, which commonly causes the inflammation that can result in peptic stomach ulcers. The glycyrrhizin inside liquorice root extract may be able to help treat these painful sores. One study that was published in The Brazillian Journal of Infectious Diseases found that adding liquorice root extract to medication usually given to treat H. plyori could help to get rid of it more effectively.

Liquorice lozenges and gargles have been used to try to reduce or prevent the sore throats that sometimes occur after surgery. These sore throats are known as POST – postoperative sore throat. One small study was performed involving patients who had to have a breathing tube inserted into their windpipe before they had surgery. Results revealed that gargling with a solution with liquorice powder and water had similar soothing effects to gargling a solution with ketamine and water after surgery. Both groups were compared to a control group who has significantly higher occurrence of sore throats. 

Medicinal plants have been used for centuries to look after people’s teeth – which in the age of very little dentistry probably helped a lot! But is that still the case now? Research suggests that liquorice root extract and its bioactive ingredients may be able to help with some dental conditions.

Hot flushes, hot flashes, whatever you call them! Are one of the most common – and most hated – symptoms that menopausal women have. They cause feelings of sudden warmth in the upper body, e.g. your chest, neck and face. The skin often becomes flushed red and women will tend to sweat, which can lead to them feeling pretty chilly afterwards if they lose too much body heat! These episodes can be very embarrassing and uncomfortable, but liquorice may be able to help.

One study on 90 menopausal women found that liquorice root was effective in reducing the severity and frequency of hot flashes. It was found to decrease daily hot flash frequency’s over the full 8 weeks, whereas the placebo (starch) did not