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Glycyrrhiza glabra L.

Botanical Name

Glycyrrhiza glabra L.

English Name

Licorice or Liquorice, Sweet Licorice, Sweet Wood

Synonym(s)

Glycyrrhiza glandulifera (Waldst.&Kit.)

Family

Fabaceae

General Info

Description

The plants are graceful, with light, spreading, pinnate foliage, presenting an almost feathery appearance from a distance. The leaflets hang down during the night on each side of the midrib. From the axils of the leaves spring racemes or spikes of papilionaceous small pale-blue, violet, yellowish-white or purplish flowers, followed by small pods somewhat resembling a partly-grown peapod in form. The underground system is double, the one part consisting of a vertical or tap root, often with several branches penetrating to a depth of 3 or 4 feet, the other of horizontal rhizomes, or stolons, thrown off from the root below the surface of the ground, which attain a length of many feet.

Herb Effects

Antiinflammatory, expectorant, antidiuretic, antihistaminic and antiulcer (glycyrrhizin), antiviral (glycyrrhizic acid),depurative, stimulates secretion of aldosterone from the adrenal cortex, encourages production of hormones (including hydrocortisone).

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Glycyrrhiza glabra

Chemistry

Active Ingredients

Acetic acid, acetophenone, anethol, apigenin, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, benzyl-alcohol, beta-amyrin, beta-carotene, beta-sitosterol, camphor, carvacrol, choline, estragole, estriol, eugenol, formononetin, geraniol, glycyrrhetinic-acid, glycyrrhizin, guaiacol, herniarin, indole, niacin, p-cymene, palmitic acid, salicyclic acid, thiamin, thujone, thymol, umbelliferone (root); alpha-terpineol, benzaldehyde, terpinen-4-ol (rhizome essential oil); astragalin, bergapten, galangin, genistein, kaempferol, naringenin, pinocembrin, xanthotoxin (shoot); betaine, ferulic acid, glycyrrhetic acid, glycyrrhizic acid, isoquercitrin, quercetin, vitexin, (plant); nicotinic acid (leaf)

Chemistry of Active Ingredients

Name

CAS#

IUPAC Name

Formula

Structure

Glycyrrhizin

53956-04-0

6-[(11-carboxy-4,4,6
a,6b,8a,11,14b-hepta
methyl-14-oxo-2,3,4a
,5,6,7,8,9 ,10,12,1
2a,14a-dodecahydro-1
H-picen-3-yl)oxy]-5-
(6-carboxy-3,4,5-tri
hy droxy-oxan-2-yl)
oxy-3,4-dihydroxy-ox
ane-2-carboxylic
acid

C₄₂H₆₂O₁₆

Glycyrrhetin

8055-71-8

10-hydroxy-2,4a,6a,6
b,9,9,12a-heptamethy
l-13-oxo-3,4,5,6,6a,
7,8,8a,10, 11,12,14
b-dodecahydro-1H-pic
ene-2-carboxylic
acid

C₃₀H₄₆O₄

Glycyrrhizic acid

79165-07-4

C₄₂H₆₂O₁₆

Glycyrrhetinic acid

8055-71-8

10-hydroxy-2,4a,6a,6
b,9,9,12a-heptamethy
l-13-oxo-3,4,5,6,6a,
7,8,8a,10, 11,12,14
b-dodecahydro-1H-pic
ene-2-carboxylic
acid

C₃₀H₄₆O₄

Acetic acid

77671-22-8

acetic acid

C₂H₄O₂

Acetophenone

98-86-2

1-phenylethanone

C₈H₈O

Anethol

8022-08-0

1-methoxy-4-prop-1-e
nyl-benzene

C₁₀H₁₂O

Apigenin

520-36-5

4,5-dihydroxy-2-(4-h
ydroxyphenyl)-chrome
n-7-one

C₁₅H₁₀O₅

Ascorbic Acid

Not Available

2-(1,2-dihydroxyethy
l)-4,5-dihydroxy-fur
an-3-one

C₆H₈O₆

Benzoic acid

8013-63-6

benzoic acid

C₇H₆O₂

Benzyl alcohol

185532-71-2

phenylmethanol

C₇H₈O

beta-Amyrin

559-70-6

4,4,6a,6b,8a,11,11,1
4b-octamethyl-1,2,3,
4a,5,6,7,8,9,10,12,1
2a,14,14a- tetradec
ahydropicen-3-ol

C₃₀H₅₀O

beta-Carotene

Not Available

3,7,12,16-tetramethy
l-1,18-bis(2,6,6-tri
methyl-1-cyclohexeny
l)-octadec a-1,3,5,
7,9,11,13,15,17-nona
ene

C₄₀H₅₆

Beta-Sitosterol

5779-62-4

17-(5-ethyl-6-methyl
-heptan-2-yl)-10,13-
dimethyl-2,3,4,7,8,9
,11,12,14, 15,16,17
-dodecahydro-1H-cycl
openta[a]phenanthren
-3-ol

C₂₉H₅₀O

Camphor

8022-77-3

1,7,7-trimethylnorbo
rnan-2-one

C₁₀H₁₆O

Carvacrol

499-75-2

2-methyl-5-propan-2-
yl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₄O

Choline

67-48-1

2-hydroxyethyl-trime
thyl-ammonium

C₅H₁₄NO+

Estragole

77525-18-9

1-methoxy-4-prop-2-e
nyl-benzene

C₁₀H₁₂O

Eugenol

97-53-0

2-methoxy-4-prop-2-e
nyl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₂O₂

Formononetin

485-72-3

4-hydroxy-3-(4-metho
xyphenyl)-chromen-7-
one

C₁₆H₁₂O₄

Geraniol

8007-13-4

3,7-dimethylocta-2,6
-dien-1-ol

C₁₀H₁₈O

Guaiacol

90-05-1

2-methoxyphenol

C₇H₈O₂

Herniarin

531-59-9

7-methoxychromen-2-o
ne

C₁₀H₈O₃

Indole

Not Available

1H-indole

C₈H₇N

Niacin

99148-57-9

pyridine-3-carboxyli
c acid

C₆H₅NO₂

p-Cymene

Not Available

Dichlororuthenium;
1-methyl-5,6-dihydro
-4H-pyrimidine;
p-cymene

C₁₅H₂₄C_l2N₂Ru

Palmitic acid

66321-94-6

hexadecanoic acid

C₁₆H₃₂O₂

Salicylic acid

8052-31-1

2-hydroxybenzoic
acid

C₇H₆O₃

Thiamin

59-43-8

2-[3-[(4-amino-2-met
hyl-pyrimidin-5-yl)m
ethyl]-4-methyl-1-th
ia-3-azoni acyclope
nta-2,4-dien-5-yl]et
hanol

C₁₂H₁₇N₄OS+

Thujone

1125-12-8

2-methyl-5-propan-2-
yl-bicyclo[3.1.0]hex
an-3-one

C₁₀H₁₆O

Thymol

89-83-8

5-methyl-2-propan-2-
yl-phenol

C₁₀H₁₄O

Umbelliferone

93-35-6

2-hydroxychromen-7-o
ne

C₉H₆O₃

alpha-Terpineol

10482-56-1

2-(4-methyl-1-cycloh
ex-3-enyl)propan-2-o
l

C₁₀H₁₈O

Benzaldehyde

100-52-7

benzaldehyde

C₇H₆O

Terpinen-4-ol

Not Available

4-methyl-1-propan-2-
yl-cyclohex-3-en-1-o
l

C₁₀H₁₈O

Astragalin

480-10-4

4,5-dihydroxy-2-(4-h
ydroxyphenyl)-3-[3,4
,5-trihydroxy-6-(hyd
roxymethyl )oxan-2-
yl]oxy-chromen-7-one

C₂₁H₂₀O₁₁

Bergapten

484-20-8

Not Available

C₁₂H₈O₄

Galangin

548-83-4

3,4,5-trihydroxy-2-p
henyl-chromen-7-one

C₁₅H₁₀O₅

Genistein

446-72-0

4,5-dihydroxy-3-(4-h
ydroxyphenyl)-chrome
n-7-one

C₁₅H₁₀O₅

Kaempferol

80714-53-0

3-[3-[4,5-dihydroxy-
6-(hydroxymethyl)-3-
[3,4,5-trihydroxy-6-
(hydroxyme thyl)oxa
n-2-yl]oxy-oxan-2-yl
]oxy-4,5-dihydroxy-6
-(hydroxymethyl)oxan
-2 -yl]oxy-4,5-dihy
droxy-2-(4-hydroxyph
enyl)-chromen-7-one

C₃₃H₄₀O₂₁

Naringenin

Not Available

5,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-h
ydroxyphenyl)-chroma
n-4-one

C₁₅H₁₂O₅

Pinocembrin

Not Available

(2S)-5,7-dihydroxy-2
-phenyl-chroman-4-on
e

C₁₅H₁₂O₄

Xanthotoxin

298-81-7

Not Available

C₁₂H₈O₄

Betaine

590-47-6

Carboxymethyl-trimet
hyl-ammonium
hydroxide

C₅H₁₃NO₃

Ferulic acid

24276-84-4

3-(4-hydroxy-3-metho
xy-phenyl)prop-2-eno
ic acid

C₁₀H₁₀O₄

Glycyrrhetic acid

Not Available

(2S,4aR,6aS,6aS,6bR,
8aS,10S,12aS,14bR)-1
0-hydroxy-2,4a,6a,6b
,9,9,12a-h eptameth
yl-13-oxo-3,4,5,6,6a
,7,8,8a,10,11,12,14b
-dodecahydro-1H-pice
ne -2-carboxylic
acid

C₃₀H₄₆O₄

Isoquercitrin

21637-25-2

3-[5-(1,2-dihydroxye
thyl)-3,4-dihydroxy-
oxolan-2-yl]oxy-2-(3
,4-dihydro xyphenyl
)-4,5-dihydroxy-chro
men-7-one

C₂₁H₂₀O₁₂

Quercetin

Not Available

2-(3,4-dihydroxyphen
yl)-3,4,5-trihydroxy
-chromen-7-one

C₁₅H₁₀O₇

Vitexin

521-33-5

4,7-dihydroxy-2-(4-h
ydroxyphenyl)-8-[3,4
,5-trihydroxy-6-(hyd
roxymethyl )oxan-2-
yl]-chromen-5-one

C₂₁H₂₀O₁₀

Nicotinic acid

99148-57-9

pyridine-3-carboxyli
c acid

C₆H₅NO₂

Pharmacology

Medicinal Use

In diabetes, epilepsy, as an antidote, tonic, depurifying agent, treating upper respiratory ailments (such as asthma, bronchitis, cough, hoarseness and sore throat), rheumatism, arthritis, for ulcers and inflammation within the gastrointestinal tract.

Contraindication

Should not be used by people with high blood pressure; should not be used with drugs derived from Digitalis; continuous use of licorice for the treatment of stomach ulcer is not recommended.

Reference

Chandel et al, Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.

Bentley and Trimen, The Himalaya Drug Company.

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