Efficacy, function and taboo of licorice.

Efficacy, function and taboo of licorice.

Although licorice is a Chinese herbal medicine, people will not be unfamiliar with it. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch is a leguminous plant, and its roots and rhizomes are used as medicine, also known as sweet grass root, red licorice root, licorice powder and grass powder. So what is the efficacy and function of licorice? What are the taboos of licorice? Let me tell you about the efficacy and function of licorice, a popular Chinese medicine!

Efficacy and function of Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch

Special odor

According to analysis, licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid, which is very sweet. It is still sweet in the aqueous solution of 1: 20000. Therefore, in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions, it can play a role in correcting the odor of other drugs.

detoxify

Glycyrrhizic acid can be hydrolyzed in vivo to form one molecule of glycyrrhetinic acid and two molecules of glucuronic acid. Glycyrrhetinic acid has a corticosteroid-like effect and can increase the detoxification of the liver.

Relieve medicinal properties

Glycyrrhizic acid is an organic acid, which can react with many alkaloids in traditional Chinese medicine to form insoluble precipitates, which can not only slowly decompose these precipitates in the body and gradually exert their efficacy, but also slow down the onset of medicinal properties, thus reducing side effects. At the same time, glycyrrhizic acid also has similar adsorption effect to medicinal activated carbon, which can adsorb chemical components in many drugs, gradually release them in the body, and slowly exert their efficacy.

Enhance the efficacy of other drugs in the prescription.

This is related to glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin contained in licorice. For example, paeoniflorin glycyrrhizinate has synergistic effects in analgesia, spasmolysis, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, inhibition of gastric juice secretion and relaxation of smooth muscle.

Glycyrrhizic acid. What else? Solubilization?

Decocting with other drugs can enhance the solubility of other drugs in water, thus enhancing the curative effect. Although licorice itself has no antibacterial effect, it can enhance the inhibitory effect of other heat-clearing and detoxicating drugs on bacteria.

It is used for deficiency of heart-qi, palpitation, pulse, deficiency of spleen and stomach, and mental fatigue.

The former is often combined with Guizhi, such as Guizhi Gancao Decoction and Zhigancao Decoction. The latter is often used with Dangshen and Baizhu, such as Sijunzi Decoction and Lizhong Pill.

Can be used for treating carbuncle, sore, sore throat, etc.

Can be used alone, orally or externally, or in combination. For carbuncle, it is often combined with heat-clearing and detoxicating herbs such as honeysuckle and forsythia, such as Xianfang Huosheng Drink. Radix Platycodi is commonly used for sore throat, such as orange stem soup. In case of pesticide and food poisoning, it is often combined with mung beans or decocted against feng shui.

Used for asthma and cough.

Can be used alone or in combination with other drugs. For example, Erchen decoction treats phlegm-dampness cough; Linggan Wuwei Jiangxin decoction for treating cold phlegm cough: Sangxing decoction for treating dry phlegm cough; Jugeng decoction is used for lung abscess, cough, foul smell and purulent sputum caused by heat toxin; Gancao Ginger Decoction for Cough and Saliva Foam. In addition, wind-heat cough, wind-cold cough and hot phlegm cough are often used together.

It can be used for acute pain of stomachache, abdominal pain and gastrocnemius contracture.

Often used with Paeonia lactiflora, it can significantly enhance the curative effect of treating acute contracture pain, such as Paeonia lactiflora and Glycyrrhiza Decoction.

Used to reconcile the efficacy of certain drugs.

For example, seasoning Chengqi decoction can reduce the diarrhea effect of rhubarb and mirabilite and its stimulation to gastrointestinal tract. In addition, in many prescriptions, this product is often used to mix various drugs.

Inhibit hypersecretion of gastric acid

Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch has adrenocortical hormone-like effect. Can inhibit excessive gastric acid secretion caused by histamine; Has antacid and gastrointestinal smooth muscle spasm relieve effects.

relieving cough and reducing sputum

Licorice flavonoids, licorice extracts and glycyrrhetinic acid all have obvious antitussive effects. The expectorant effect is also remarkable, and its action intensity is glycyrrhizic acid >: licorice flavonoids > licorice extract.

Licorice also has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects.

It can protect inflamed throat and tracheal mucosa. The detoxification effect of licorice extract and glycyrrhizic acid on some poisons is similar to that of glucuronic acid.

Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch is usually used to treat postmenopausal symptoms.

Because licorice contains liquiritigenin, which is a hormone-like compound, it helps to balance the hormone content in women.

Hypoacid contained in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch can block tumor growth induced by carcinogens.

In modern times, it is used for gastric and duodenal ulcer, and is often used equally with cuttlefish bone and concha arcae. This product also has diuretic effect, so it is often used as an auxiliary medicine to treat heat stranguria and dysuria.

What are the taboos of licorice?

1. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch is not suitable for wet disease.

Herbal decoction clearly points out:? Sweet is full, don't eat sweet when full, and slow suffocation is not suitable for full. ? It is recorded in Treatise on Febrile Diseases and Synopsis of the Golden Chamber that there is no need for licorice, such as Wuling powder, to attack the exterior and drain water for all diseases caused by dampness, such as vomiting, excessive phlegm, fullness and edema. In short, although Zhang Zhongjing and other doctors did not make it clear, the disadvantages of treating dampness with licorice are obvious.

2. Use less licorice in an emergency.

Physicians of past dynasties recognized that sweet taste is slow and well preserved, and licorice is the representative of sweet medicine, and its slow and gentle nature determines its limitations in the application of acute syndromes. Taking Treatise on Febrile Diseases as an example, Yangming used Dachengqi decoction without adding licorice to avoid it, and to save yin in case of urgency. Another example is Dachaihu Decoction (evolved from Xiaochaihu Decoction), which is a famous prescription for treating deficiency of yang and fu qi. Now it is used to treat acute cholecystitis, gallstones, acute pancreatitis and other diseases, but its symptoms are obviously more acute than Xiaochaihu decoction, so the licorice in Xiaochaihu decoction is removed and the yellow and immature bitter orange are increased to prevent it from being sweet.

3. Patients with kidney disease should use licorice with caution.

"Su Wen? Anger to heaven "said:? The taste is too sweet, the heart is full of asthma, the color is black, and the kidney is unbalanced. ? "LingShu? Five flavors "article puts forward:? Kidney disease is prohibited. ? Zhong created the idea of warming and tonifying kidney and yang in his training? Shenqi pill? That is to say, it does not contain licorice, and kidney disease prescriptions derived by later physicians, such as Jisheng Shenqi Pill, Gui You Pill, Zuogui Pill and Liuwei Dihuang Pill, did not use licorice. Modern pharmacological studies have found that glycyrrhizic acid contained in Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch has adrenocortical hormone-like effect, which can promote the retention of water and sodium and the increase of potassium excretion. If licorice is used in large quantities for a long time, there will be pseudoaldosteronism such as edema, elevated blood pressure, decreased blood potassium and weakness of limbs. Explain? Use licorice with caution in kidney disease? It has important clinical significance.

;