Therapeutic and Pharmacological Efficacy of Glycyrrhiza glabra L.: An Updated Review

Glycyrrhiza glabra (G. glabra) or licorice is a medicinal plant used traditionally worldwide. It has a rich phytochemical makeup that contains flavonoids, saponins, and coumarins, providing various therapeutic benefits. It has been utilized as traditional medicine to treat multiple conditions such as liver toxicity, gastrointestinal diseases, skin, and allergic disorders. G. glabra, an integral component in Ayurvedic practices, has maintained profound medicinal importance since antiquity. In Ayurveda, it is referred to as "Yashtimadhu," an extraordinary and healing herb known for its effectiveness in treating throat inflammation. G. glabra is mentioned as an ancient herbal medicine in “Bhavprakash Nighantu” (an extensive Sanskrit text which has significance in Ayurveda, the ancient medicinal system). It is referred to as Mulethi (Kalintak and Madhulika), characterized by its sweet taste, substantive digestibility, and cooling properties. Additionally, it has been mentioned as a beneficial remedy for hair, skin, and throat issues, to cure ulcers, bleeding disorders, inflammation, and weakness. The presence of active metabolites such as glabridin, liquiritoside, licochalcone, Beta-sitosterol, glabrene, glycyrrhetic acid, glycyrrhizin, glabrone, and isoliquiritigenin enables G. glabra to exhibit anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antiulcer, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, antidiabetic, and antioxidant properties. The data for this review article on licorice were collected from diverse sources, including ancient Ayurvedic books, scientific databases, scholarly journals, published papers, books, and pharmacopoeias. Google Scholar, PubMed, and other scientific data repositories were used to collect ethnopharmacological and clinical properties of the G. glabra. This study reviewed traditional uses, phytochemistry, various pharmacological properties, and clinical and scientific evidence of G. glabra. Scientific investigation of the metabolites of G. glabra for their therapeutic properties, with special emphasis on the mechanism of action, has been reviewed and discussed with suitable scientific references. The study highlights the need for additional research to fully comprehend the mechanisms behind the therapeutic effects of licorice and its promise in modern medicine. This review article thoroughly analyzes the pharmacological and phytochemical characteristics of G. glabra, which will serve as a resource for future clinical and fundamental studies.

کلیدواژه ها:

Glycyrrhiza glabra L ، Traditional uses ، Anti-diabetic ، Hepatoprotective ، neurodegenerative diseases