The earliest documented uses of licorice for medicinal purposes can be traced back to ancient cultures spanning the Middle East (Assyria, Egypt) to Southeast Asia (China, India).[1] Licorice is considered essential to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where it is used for conditions of the cardiorespiratory, endocrine, and digestive systems. The relative ubiquity of licorice means it has been used on most continents of the world as a traditional medicine for a wide range of uses all throughout the body with both topical and systemic applications.[2][1][3][4][5]
Twenty-eight different First Nations peoples of the Americas (notably the Dakota, Cheyenne, Blackfoot and Sioux) are known to have used licorice in traditional healing for over 20 different conditions and ailments. The most commonly cited uses for licorice among First Nations peoples include use as a throat aid, cough medicine, and toothache remedy.[6]
References
- ^Fiore C, Eisenhut M, Ragazzi E, Zanchin G, Armanini DA history of the therapeutic use of liquorice in Europe.J Ethnopharmacol.(2005 Jul 14)
- ^Sharifi-Rad J, Quispe C, Herrera-Bravo J, Belén LH, Kaur R, Kregiel D, Uprety Y, Beyatli A, Yeskaliyeva B, Kırkın C, Özçelik B, Sen S, Acharya K, Sharopov F, Cruz-Martins N, Kumar M, Razis AFA, Sunusi U, Kamal RM, Shaheen S, Suleria HARGlycyrrhiza Genus: Enlightening Phytochemical Components for Pharmacological and Health-Promoting Abilities.Oxid Med Cell Longev.(2021)
- ^Wahab S, Annadurai S, Abullais SS, Das G, Ahmad W, Ahmad MF, Kandasamy G, Vasudevan R, Ali MS, Amir M(Licorice): A Comprehensive Review on Its Phytochemistry, Biological Activities, Clinical Evidence and Toxicology.Plants (Basel).(2021-Dec-14)
- ^Isbrucker RA, Burdock GARisk and safety assessment on the consumption of Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza sp.), its extract and powder as a food ingredient, with emphasis on the pharmacology and toxicology of glycyrrhizin.Regul Toxicol Pharmacol.(2006 Dec)
- ^Das D, Agarwal SK, Chandola HMProtective effect of Yashtimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra) against side effects of radiation/chemotherapy in head and neck malignancies.Ayu.(2011 Apr)
- ^Moerman, Daniel ENative American Ethnobotany: A Database of Foods, Drugs, Dyes and Fibers of Native American Peoples, Derived from Plants; University of Michigan-Dearborn, cited May 2024(2023 Oct)