Licorice: the beneficial properties of licorice root. Video

Useful substances contained in licorice root:

– B vitamins;

– vitamin C;

– pectin;

– flavonoids;

– fatty acid;

– polysaccharides;

– tannins and mucous substances;

– essential oil;

– mineral salts;

– resinous substances and bitterness;

– carotene;

– protein;

– amino acids;

– coumarins;

– alkaloids;

– steroids;

– saponins, including glycyrrhizin;

– phytosterols.

Licorice naked in nature

Licorice is found mainly in steppe regions, semi-deserts, near roads, along the banks of rivers and seas. The plant belongs to the legume family, it grows in temperate and subtropical climates, tolerates drought well, and is sometimes strengthened by sands.

Licorice grows in Southeast Europe, North Africa, West and Central Asia. They began to make sweets from it in England back in the XNUMXth century, but they gained great popularity in Finland, where licorice sweets are considered a national delicacy. Licorice is especially revered in China and is included in almost all recipes of Tibetan medicine.

In Russia, licorice grows in the southern regions near Kazakhstan, in the Caucasus, along the shores of the Azov Sea and in Western Siberia. The fruit of licorice has a curved, bare bean, brown color; licorice is propagated by seeds and vegetatively. All useful substances are concentrated in the licorice root, it is harvested in spring or late autumn, dried well, and then crushed.

The healing properties of licorice and their use

Licorice has a sweet taste, which is given to it by glycyrrhizin (its content in the plant reaches 23%). This substance is ten times sweeter than sugar and is used as a natural sweetener. Glycyrrhizic acid, which is found in licorice root, is similar in action to cortisol, a hormone of the adrenal cortex. Thanks to glycyrrhizic acid, licorice has anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-allergenic effects.

Licorice should not be used with increased adrenal activity

Licorice root has an expectorant property, so it is included in preparations, mixtures, syrups, and also cough drops. Children enjoy cough syrups, as they are sweet and fragrant.

Licorice treats the following respiratory diseases:

– dry cough;

– bronchitis;

– tuberculosis;

– asthma;

– pneumonia;

– laryngitis;

– smoker’s cough.

It restores the body in case of cardiac pathologies and low blood pressure, is useful in vascular and thyroid diseases. Licorice root has an enveloping effect on the gastric mucosa and is a mild laxative, since it contains liquoricin glycoside. It helps with diabetes by increasing insulin production and is a natural sweetener.

A decoction of licorice roots is drunk for diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, ulcers and gastritis are treated with it. Licorice is used for skin diseases: psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema. It is used as a cosmetic product. Since licorice has the properties of whitening, rejuvenating the skin and stimulating collagen production, it is included in age creams.

Licorice contains a lot of flavonoids, substances with antioxidant properties; doctors recommend using it for cancer. The anti-inflammatory properties of licorice have a protective and healing effect on hepatitis, help with diseases of the bladder and restore the pancreas.

Licorice root has long been considered a good antidote and is used for poisoning and intoxication. It relieves fatigue well, improves mental activity. Licorice is also beneficial in the treatment of joint diseases, rheumatism, gout.

In addition to the medical field, licorice root is used in the food industry. It is also used as a foaming agent in soft drinks – kvass and tonic drinks, added to confectionery, jams, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, used as spices.

Contraindications to the use of licorice

Licorice is not recommended for people with water-salt imbalance, kidney disease and hypertension. It has the property of retaining water in the body, so it should not be consumed during pregnancy, it is recommended that children be given medications containing licorice from the age of two, strictly according to the dosage prescribed by the doctor.

For hypertensive patients taking a diuretic to lower blood pressure, it is recommended to purchase drugs without glycyrrhizin. When using licorice root, you should include foods containing potassium in the diet

The substances in licorice root reduce potassium levels to dangerous levels. A lack of potassium in the body causes muscle weakness and kidney failure can develop. Licorice is contraindicated in patients with myocarditis and pericarditis, as well as in liver cirrhosis.

Licorice can irritate the digestive tract in some people. Its effect on the sexual sphere is not fully understood, there are very opposite opinions about the weakening or, on the contrary, the strengthening of potency and libido.