BACKGROUND One small study suggests that gargling with licorice before induction of anesthesia reduces the risk of postoperative sore throat. Double-lumen tubes are large and thus especially likely to provoke sore throats. We therefore tested the hypothesis that preoperative gargling with licorice solution prevents postoperative sore throat and postextubation coughing in patients intubated with...

Licorice contains flavonoids and triterpenoids as the major bioactive components. Most of the flavonoids are the glycosidic form of liquiritigenin (LIQ), isoliquiritigenin (ISO) and formononetin (FOR). A reversed-phase HPLC method for the quantification of LIQ, ISO and FOR in licorice was developed. This method does not measure each glycoside but measures the aglycones using acid hydrolysis. Al...

Licorice is one of the oldest and most frequently used herbs in traditional Chinese medicine. It contains more than 20 triterpenoids and 300 flavonoids. In recent years, a lot of studies have reported that the active compounds isolated from licorice possess antitumor, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, immunoregulatory, and several other activities that contribute to the recovery and ...

Licorice is a common herb which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. More than 20 triterpenoids and nearly 300 flavonoids have been isolated from licorice. Recent studies have shown that these metabolites possess many pharmacological activities, such as antiviral, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and other activities. This paper provides a summary of the antiv...

Because of the complicated chemical composition of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs), their metabolic study has been a great challenge, especially when they are used in the traditional way, i.e., clinical oral dose of water decoction. Poor understanding of metabolic pathways and too low metabolite concentrations to be detected in biosamples are the major hurdles. In the present work, a three...

Licorice derived from the roots and rhizomes of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch. (Fabaceae), is one of the most widely-used traditional herbal medicines in China. It has been reported to possess significant analgesic activity for treating spastic pain. The aim of this study is to investigate the spasmolytic molecular mechanism of licorice on oxytocin-induced uterine contractions and predict the rel...

We describe an unusual case of severe hypokalemia with electrocardiographic changes, due to licorice consumption, in a 15-year-old female student with no previous medical history. Prompt replacement of potassium and cessation of licorice ingestion resulted in a favourable outcome. We also discuss the pathophysiology and diagnosis, emphasizing the importance of a detailed anamnesis to rule out a...

The traditional medicine licorice is the most widely consumed herbal product in the world. Although much research work on studying the changes in the active compounds of licorice has been reported, there are still many areas, such as the dynamic accumulation of secondary metabolites in licorice, that need to be further studied. In this study, the secondary metabolites from licorice under two di...

Typical adverse effects of Shakuyaku-kanzo-To (SKT), an herbal medicine containing licorice, is a licorice-induced pseudoaldosteronism with hypokalemia and hypertension. The risk factors for this side effect are still unclear. To identify the risk factors, we surveyed 37 cases of licorice-induced pseudoaldosteronism in the literature and serum potassium levels in our patients receiving SKT and ...

Licorice has been used in Chinese folk medicine for the treatment of various disorders. Licorice has the biological capabilities of detoxication, antioxidation, and antiinfection. In this study, we evaluated the antihepatotoxic effect of licorice aqueous extract (LE) on the carbon tetrachloride (CCl(4))-induced liver injury in a rat model. Hepatic damage, as reveled by histology and the increas...