Phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and potential health benefits of Glycyrrhiza glabra

Abstract

Nature has always been an excellent source for many therapeutic compounds providing us with many medicinal plants and microorganisms producing beneficial chemicals. Therefore, the demand for medicinal plants, cosmetics, and health products is always on the rise. One such plant from the Leguminosae family is licorice and the scientific name is Glycyrrhiza glabra Linn. It is an herb-type plant with medicinal value. In the following article, we shall elaborately look at the plants' phytochemical constituents and the pharmacological impact of those substances. Several compounds such as glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhizinic acid, isoliquiritin, and glycyrrhizic acid have been found in this plant, which can provide pharmacological benefit to us with its anti-cancer, anti-atherogenic, antidiabetic, anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and antispasmodic activity. Alongside, these products have a different role in hepatoprotective, immunologic, memory-enhancing activity. They can stimulate hair growth, control obesity, and have anti-depressants, sedatives, and anticoagulant activity. This review examines recent studies on the phytochemical and pharmacological data and describes some side effects and toxicity of licorice and its bioactive components.

Determination of Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity, and Tyrosinase Inhibitory Effects of Functional Cosmetic Creams Available on the Thailand Market

“…The cream extract from each of the 23 cream samples were determined for anti-tyrosinase activity using mushroom tyrosinase spectrophotometry assay. Many of the studied creams contained well-known whitening agents including kojic acid, arbutin, niacinamide, glutathione, citric acid [ 62 ], and some phyto-extracts ( Glycyrrhiza glabra [ 56 ], Morus alba [ 64 ], Aloe barbadensis [ 82 ], Oryza sativa [ 83 ], and Lepidium sativum [ 84 ]. The ingredients that appeared in the product’s label in each of the 23 cream samples and their respective tyrosinase inhibitory activity is shown in Table 2 and found that, 12 out of the 23 cream extracts inhibited mushroom tyrosinase activity, accounting for 52% of the total studied cosmetic creams.…”

“…In contrast to Australian people, Asians, who usually prefer fair or white skin, would rather use skin cosmetic products with the whitening ingredients. These ingredients include vitamin C, its derivatives, and various plant extracts ( Glycyrrhiza glabra , Centella asiatica , Acacia confusa , Cassia fistula , Vitis vinifera ) that aim to reduce skin pigmentation [ 3 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ]. These products (whitening creams, anti-aging serums, toners, lotions, facial foams, and soaps) are commonly used by Asian consumers to whiten the skin and treat yellowish discoloration or brown patches on the face or body [ 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 ].…”

Efficacy of Integrated Ayurveda treatment protocol in type 2 Diabetes Mellitus – A case report

“…Daruharidra [ 21 ] ( Berberis aristata ) acts by decreasing oxidative stress hence useful in this condition. To attain immunomodulatory effect, Yashtimadhu ( Glycyrrhiza glabra ) was used and it is also an anti-diabetic [ 22 , 23 ]. Combined prescription of Nishakatakadi Kashaya and Amlakyadi compound had proven to be synergistic with former having disease specific effects and latter had helped in breaking the samprapti (Pathogenesis) of the disease.…”

Revisiting liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) as anti-inflammatory, antivirals and immunomodulators: Potential pharmacological applications with mechanistic insight.

“…G. glabra and its bioactive phytochemicals holds multiple pharmacological activities like, antidemulcent, expectorant, antiulcer, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antidiabetic as an evidence from various review held in recent past ( Pandey et al, 2017 ; Sharma et al, 2018 ). Wider utility in traditional medicinal system and proven scientific validated studies makes liquorice and its bioactive compounds ( Figure 1 ) as drug of choice to explore it more precisely for multiple health benefit possibilities as an evidence from many published studies reviewed in past ( Revers, 1956 ; Ren and Wang, 1988 ; Olukoga and Donaldson, 2000 ; Saxena, 2005 ; Asl and Hosseinzadeh, 2008 ; Kaur et al, 2013 ; Kao et al, 2014 ; Hosseinzadeh and Nassiri-Asl, 2015 ; Yang et al, 2015 ; Dastagir and Rizvi, 2016 ; Pastorino et al, 2018 ; Sharma et al, 2018 ; Bredin, 2019 ; Mamedov and Egamberdieva, 2019 ; Batiha et al, 2020 ; Chen et al, 2020a ; Jiang et al, 2020 ; Kwon et al, 2020 ; Rehman et al, 2020 ; Wang et al, 2020 ; Hasan et al, 2021 ; Sharifi-Rad et al, 2021 ). Further, utility through novel drug delivery specially nanomedicine approaches, cosmeceutical application and as an animal feed alternative are well discussed and reviewed recently ( Alagawany et al, 2019 ; Ciganovic et al, 2019 ; Rani et al, 2021 ).…”