Licorice: An Ancient Root That Supports Liver and Digestive Health—and More

When archaeologists opened King Tutankhamun’s tomb, they found gold, jewels—and licorice root. Three thousand years later, scientists are trying to figure out why ancient cultures thought it belonged there.

Licorice, or Glycyrrhiza glabra, is much more than the flavor behind the chewy candies we remember from childhood. It’s one of the most widely used herbs in history, prized across cultures for soothing sore throats, calming coughs, and settling upset stomachs—and it’s also a serious flavoring agent in its own right, about fifty times sweeter than sugar. Today, research is validating many traditional uses and uncovering a few new ones, including possible benefits for liver disease and wound healing in the mouth and gut.

A Root Used Across Every Ancient Civilization

Licorice’s medicinal use goes back further than almost any other herb on record. It’s mentioned in the “Epic of Gilgamesh,” the oldest known epic in the world, Nazim Mamedov, a former assistant professor of Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, told The Epoch Times. Today, he added, it remains widely used in traditional medicine across the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Asia.

Hippocrates considered licorice an effective remedy for dehydration and ulcers. Ancient Egyptians turned licorice root into a sweet drink and valued it enough to bury it with their dead, which is why it appears in Tutankhamun’s tomb.

Mamedov, who has published papers about medicinal plants for the last 50 years, including several on licorice, said its most common traditional uses include treating cough, bronchial asthma, Addison’s disease, cold sores, mouth sores, stomach pain, ulcers, eczema, and the common cold.

Licorice is also classified as an adaptogen, a substance believed to help the body handle physical, emotional, and environmental stress. Chewing on licorice sticks is a widely used practice to improve the health of teeth and gums.

Two of the world’s oldest medical traditions treat licorice as a cornerstone herb, not a minor remedy.

In Chinese medicine, licorice, called gan cao, is included in most herbal formulas. This is largely because of its sweet flavor—which counteracts the strong taste of many herbs—and its harmonizing actions, which help diminish the toxicity or harshness of other herbs in a formula and help them work together more effectively.

Most herbs are thought to target specific organ systems or parts of the body; however, licorice is unique as a guide herb, helping direct other herbs in a formula to all twelve meridians—pathways through which the body’s energy travels—located throughout the body. It strengthens the digestive and respiratory systems, builds the body’s qi (energy), clears heat, reduces toxicity, and promotes longevity.

In Ayurveda, licorice is called Yashtimadhu, meaning “sweet stick,” and is highly regarded as a rejuvenating tonic (rasayana). It is sweet and cooling and is traditionally used to soothe the stomach and throat, support respiratory health, heal ulcers, treat depression, and act as a general tonic for strength, immunity, and mood.

The Chemistry Behind the Benefits

Licorice is rich in bioactive compounds; scientists have identified approximately 400, including 300 flavonoids.

Perhaps the most famous bioactive compound is glycyrrhizin, which is responsible for licorice’s sweetness, many of its medicinal properties, and most of its side effects.

Once you eat licorice, gut bacteria convert glycyrrhizin into a related compound called glycyrrhetinic acid. This conversion drives licorice’s anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antioxidant, and tissue-protective effects.

But glycyrrhetinic acid has a downside. It interferes with normal kidney function and the hormones that control the body’s salt and water balance, essentially tricking them into holding on to more salt and water than they should. As a result, blood pressure rises, and potassium levels fall, which can strain the heart.

Because of this blood pressure side effect, licorice is available without glycyrrhizin, called deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL. Removing glycyrrhizin eliminates the risks of high blood pressure, fluid retention, and potassium loss associated with regular licorice.

For Michael T. Murray, a naturopathic physician, author, researcher, and expert on natural medicines, DGL is his go-to form of licorice.

“DGL used to be discarded as inactive because it did not contain glycyrrhizic acid, only to be discovered as being more active in promoting healing of peptic ulcers,” he told The Epoch Times in an email.

“I have treated many cases of peptic ulcers over the years with 100 percent success using DGL. It is extremely safe with no side effects or contraindications.”

What Modern Research Shows

Modern research on licorice aligns with its traditional reputation, particularly for the respiratory and digestive systems.

Liver Health

The glycyrrhizin in licorice has a powerful effect on the liver. In a large randomized controlled trial of about 1,400 patients with primary liver disease, licorice significantly reduced liver inflammation.

In a lab study, it reduced hepatitis C virus levels in infected liver cells, with even small doses cutting viral activity by about half. Comparative studies using glycyrrhizin with interferon alpha—a hepatitis C treatment—found a synergistic effect, amplifying their antiviral effects when used together.

Digestive Health

Modern studies validate licorice’s traditional uses for the digestive system, particularly peptic ulcers and acid reflux, as well as for protecting the stomach, especially in inflammatory conditions. Licorice stimulates the stomach lining to produce protective mucus, inhibits stomach acid and pepsin, fights Helicobacter pylori bacteria, and reduces local inflammation.

Mouth and Throat

Licorice is a known remedy for sore throats due to its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and soothing effects. It has also been shown to be a highly effective treatment for mouth ulcers, including canker sores. One systematic review found it reduced pain compared with medications in three distinct oral conditions: canker sores, oral lichen planus—an autoimmune inflammatory condition, and radiation-induced oral mucositis, a side effect of cancer treatment. A separate review focused specifically on canker sores found licorice improved pain, ulcer size, and healing time.

Early-Stage Findings

Preclinical studies also found licorice to have anti-cancer effects, and animal studies have explored its antidepressant and memory-enhancing effects, as well as its effects in neurodegenerative disorders, including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Safety: Who Should Be Cautious

For regular licorice, occasional use is generally not problematic for healthy people.

However, high doses or extended use can cause adverse effects, including raised blood pressure, low potassium, and fluid retention, which may trigger abnormal heart rhythms and make the heart work harder.

Licorice can also interact with diuretics, corticosteroids, digoxin, and some blood pressure medications.

Dosage and Preparation

As a food ingredient, licorice is considered safe. Medicinal use is where dosage and duration matter, and where a product’s glycyrrhizin content determines what is appropriate.

In a paper he wrote on licorice, Murray explained that dosage depends on its glycyrrhetinic acid content. The only exception is treating peptic ulcers, when DGL is preferred because it lacks side effects.

For most uses, the goal is to raise blood levels of glycyrrhetinic acid enough to produce beneficial effects without increasing the risk of side effects, he said. The following doses of licorice, taken three times daily, are commonly recommended for this purpose:

Powdered Licorice Root: 1 to 2 grams
Liquid Extract (1:1): 2 to 4 mL
Dry Extract (4:1): 250 to 500 mg

The one major exception is peptic ulcers, where deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) works best when chewed, as it allows it to mix with saliva. Saliva appears to trigger the release of natural substances that help protect and repair the lining of the stomach and intestines. For this reason, DGL capsules have not been shown to work as well as chewable tablets.

If you are interested in using licorice and have health conditions or are taking medications, consult with a qualified herbalist who can prescribe and adjust dosages based on your unique situation and ensure you are using it safely.

Few herbs have a resume this long or this consistent. As modern research validates and builds on its traditional uses, licorice has proven it’s a valuable herb to have around—from the tombs of Egyptian kings to your medicine cabinet.

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