Yastimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Yastimadhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Glycyrrhiza is of a Greek origin and means sweet root. Glabra means smooth and refers to the smooth pod like fruit of the species.

• Latin name: Glycyrrhiza glabra
• Kingdom: Plantae
• Division: Magnoliophyta
• Class: Magnoliopsida
• Order: Fabales
• Family: Fabaceae
• Subfamily: Faboideae
• Tribe: Galegeae
• Genus: Glycyrrhiza
• Species: glabra

Synonyms

• Sanskrit: Yastimadhu, Yastimadhuk, Kleetak.
• Hindi: Mulhathi ,Mulethi,Muleti,Mithi lakri, Jethimadhu.
• English: Liquorice Root.

Habitat

Glycyrrhiza is a genus of perennial herbs and under shrubs distributed in the sub-tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. The liquorice plant is a legume (related to beans and peas) and native to southern Europe and parts of Asia.

Glycyrrhiza glabra and its varieties constitute the principal source of Liquorice official in the pharmacopeias.

Morphology

* It is a herbaceous perennial, growing to 1 meter in height, The leaves are pinnate about 7–15 centimeters (3–6 inches) long, with 9–17 leaflets.

* The flowers are 0.8–1.2 cm (1/3 to 1/2 inch) long, purple to pale whitish blue, produced in a loose inflorescence. Pod compressed, 0.5-1 inch long, containing reniform seeds.

* The fruit is an oblong pod, 2–3 centimeters (about 1 inch) long, containing several seeds.

* The dried peeled or unpeeled underground stem and roots constitute the drug known in the trade as liquorice.

Properties

(1) Pharmacological Properties

• Guna - Guru, Snigdha
• Rasa - Madhur
• Vipaka - Madhur
• Virya - Sheet
• Dosha Karma - Vata-Pitt Shamak, Kaph nissarak
• Prabhava – Medhya

(2) Chemical Composition

Acetic-acid, Acetoin ,Acetol, Acetophenone, Alpha-terpineol Aluminum, Anethole, Apigenin, Ascorbic-acid, Asparagine, Benzaldehyde, Benzoic-acid, Benzyl-alcohol, Beta-sitosterol, Butan-1-ol-2-one, Butan-1-ol-3-one, Butane-2,3-diol, Butanoic-acid, Butylphthalate, Butyric-anhydride, Calcium, Camphor, Caproic-acid, Carvacrol, Choline, Chromium, Cobalt, Cumic-alcohol, Decane, Decanoic-acid, Difurfuryl-ether, Dihydro-5,5-dimethyl-2(3h)-furanone, Dimethyl-phenylethyl-alcohol, Docosane, Dodecane, Dodecanoic-acid, Eicosane, EO, Estragole, Estriol, Ethyl-linoleate, Ethyl- linolenate, Ethyl-palmitate, Ethyl-phenol ,Ethyl-phenylacetate, Eugenol, Fenchone Formononetin, Fructose, Furfural, Furfuryl-acetate, Furfuryl-alcohol, Furfuryl-butyrate, Furfuryl-formate,Furfuryl-propionate, Furyl-methyl-ketone, Gamma-butyrolactone, Gamma-heptalactone,Gamma-hexalactone, Gamma-nonalactone, Gamma- octalactone, Geraniol, Glabrene, Glabric-acid, Glabridin, Glabrol, Glabrolide, Glabrone, Glucose, Glycocoumarin, Glycyrin, Glycyrol, Glycyrram, Glycyrrhetic-acid, Glycyrrhetinic-acid, Glycyrrhetol,Glycyrrhisoflavanone, Glycyrrhisoflavone, Glycyrrhizic-acid, Glycyrrhizin, Glyzaglabrin, Glyzarin, Guaiaco, Hederasaponin-c, Henicosane, Heptadecane ,Heptane-1,2-diol, Heptanoic-acid, Heranol, Herniarin, Hex-trans-3-en-ol, Hexadecane, Hexadecanoic-acid, Hexadecyl-acetate, Hexan-1-ol, Hexanoic-acid, Hexanol, Hexyl-formate, Hispaglabridin-a ,Hispaglabridin-b, Indole, Iron, Isobutyladipate, Isoglabrolide, soglycyrol, Isoliquiritin, Isomucronulatol, Isoneoliquiritin, Isoschaftoside, Isoviolanthin, Kumatakenin, Lavandolol, Licochalcone-a, Licochalcone-b, Licoflavonol, Licoisoflavanone, Licoisoflavones, Licoric-acid, Licuraside, Licuroside, Lignin, Linalool, Linalool-oxides, Liqcoumarin, Liquirazide, Liquiritic-acid, Liquiritigenin, Liquoric-acid, Magnesium, Maltose, Manganese, Methyl-ethyl-ketone, Methyl-hexa-decanoate, Methyl-hexanoate, Myrtenal, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, N-nonacosane, N- tetradecane, Neoliquiritin, Neosoliquiritin, Nonadecane, Nonanoic-acid, O-acetyl-salicylic-acid, O-cresol, O-methoxy-phenol, O-tolunitrile, Octacosan-1-ol, Octadecane, Octanoic-acid, P-cymenol, P-methoxy-phenol, Palmitic-acid, Pentadecane, Pentadecanoic-acid Pentan-1-ol, Pentanoic-acid, Phaseollinisoflavan, Phenethyl-alcohol, Phenol, Phenyl-acetaldehyde, Phenylpropionic-acid, Phosphorus, Propionic-acid, Pyrazole, Rhamnoisoliquiritin, Rhamno-liquiritin, Salicylic-acid, Schaftoside, Silicon, Stigmasterol, Sucrose, Sugar, Terpin-1-en-4-ol, Tetracosan-1-ol, Tetracosane, Tetradecanoic-acid, Tetramethyl-pyrazine, Thiamin, Thujone, Thymol, Tiglaldehyde, Tin, Tricosane, Tridecane, Tridecanoic-acid, Trimethyl-pyrazine, Umbelliferone, Undecane, Undecanoic-acid, Zinc.

Active Constituents

The principal constituent of Liquorice to which it owes its characteristic sweet taste is glycyrrhizin which is present in different varieties in a concentration of 2-14%. This principal is not found in the aerial parts of the plant.

Other constituents – Glucose up to 3.8%, sucrose 2.4-6.5%, starch 30%, asparagine bitter principals, resins 2-4%, a volatile oil 0.03-0.035% and coloring matter.

The yellow color is due to the anthoxanthin glucoside, isoliquiritin[C2H22O9] which undergoes partial conversion to liquiriton during drying and storage of roots. Both isoliquiritin and liquirites are bitter with a sweet after taste and stimulate the salivary glands.

Glycyrrhizin occurs in liquorice as the calcium or potassium salt of the trihydroxy acid. It is nearly 50 times as sweet as canesugar and its sweetness is perceptible even in a dilution of 1:20,000.

Uses of Yastimadhu

Ayurvedic Study of Uses

Yastimadhu is cold in potency, hard for digestion, sweet, good for eyes (vision), bestows strength and color, unctuous, increases semen, good for hairs and voice, mitigates pitta, anila (vata) and asra (rakta), cures wounds, edema, poison, vomiting, thirst, exhaustion and constipation. B.P.Nig / Ha. 146

Modern Study of Uses

Anodyne, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic, Anti-inflammatory, Demulcent, Depurative, Diuretic, Emollient, Estrogenic, Expectorant, Pectoral.

Parts Used

Root, Whole herb

Dosage

3 gm twice daily, along with milk. The Commission E advises that liquorice should not be taken for longer than 6-8 weeks.

Safety Factors and Toxicity

Known contraindications, the chronic ingestion of liquorice in large doses leads to a well-documented 'aldosterone-like' syndrome, presenting symptoms of high blood pressure, potassium loss and sodium and water retention. Ingestion of liquorice, (more than 3 grams per day for more than 6 weeks) or gycyrrhizin (more than 100mgs per day) may cause sodium and water retention, hypertension, hypokalemia and suppression of the rennin-aldosterone system. Monitoring of blood pressure and electrolytes and increasing dietary potassium intake are suggested. Adverse effects are rarely observed at levels below 400mg per day. Eating high potassium, low sodium diet normally prevents the side effects of glycyrrhizin. Not recommended in hypertensive patients unless under physician supervision.

Interactions

Liquorice should probably not be used by patients who are currently using digitalis preparations. Avoid using licorice alongwith Furosemide / Thiazide diuretics.

Method of Action

According to Ayurveda, it acts as Medhya by its Prabhava.

* Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of liquorice may be contributing favourably to the memory enhancement effect. Since scopolamine-induced amnesia was reversed by liquorice, it is possible that the beneficial effect on learning and memory was due to facilitation of cholinergic-transmission in mouse brain.

Pharmacology Division, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, P.O. Box 38, Guru Jambheshwar University, Hisar 125001, Haryana, India.

* The central cholinergic pathways play a prominent role in the learning and memory processes. Acetylcholinesterase is an enzyme that inactivates acetylcholine. Acetylcholinesterase enzyme was estimated in brains of mice. G. glabra, significantly decreased acetylcholinesterase activity as compared with their respective vehicle-treated control groups.

Journal of Medicinal Food

* The ethanolic extract of G. glabra inhibits pentylenetetrazol and lithium-pilocarpine-induced convulsions but not maximum electroshock seizure-induced convulsions.

(Indian journal of pharmacology)