Chinese Licorice Root in Sleepatil™
Pharmaceutical name: Radix Glycyrrhizae Uralensis
Other Names: Glycyrrhiza glabra, Liquorice, Sweet Root
Origin: It is mainly produced in Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Qinghai and Zinjiang.
Properties: Sweet in smell and peculiarly sweet in taste. It is about five hundred times the sweetness of cane sugar.
Sleepatil |
Uses: tonifies pi (spleen), enhances qi, clears heat, rids of toxins, expels phlegm and stops cough, stops pain, synergizes other herbs. Being used in spleen and stomach weakness, tired and lack of strength, palpitation and short of breath, cough with abundance of phlegm, stomach and solar plexus pain, spastic painful limbs, boils, to reduce toxicity of other herbs.
•anti ulcer
•anti convulsory
•promotes secretion of insulin
•protects liver from toxin
•anti inflammatory
•anti allergy
•anti cancer
•anti viral
•anti bacterial
•anti amoebal
•lowers blood lipids
•Tonify heart, spleen & stomach
•Aids digestive disorders
•Moisten lungs and suppresses cough
•Regulates Pulse
•Alleviates pain & stops spasms
Gan Cao is used for gastric and duodenal ulcers, sore throat, bronchitis, chronic gastritis, colic, primary adrenocortical insufficiency, dry cough, arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and for bacterial and viral infections. It is also used for liver disorders, hypokalemia, hypertonia, malaria, tuberculosis, abscesses, food poisoning, diabetes insipidus, and contact dermatitis.
Licorice has antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, laxative, and soothing properties. The constituents, glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhetinic acid, inhibit 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase . This inhibition blocks metabolism of prostaglandins E and F2 alpha and may be responsible for peptic ulcer healing observed with these productsTrue licorice also shows some anti-infective and anticancer properties. In laboratory and animal studies, true licorice and chemicals contained in it have stopped or slowed the growth of certain bacteria, fungi, and parasites. Several animal studies have also revealed a possibly strong antiviral effect for true licorice. In these studies, true licorice components that belong to the isoflavonoid class of chemicals appear to have several anti-infective effects that include interference with oxygen utilization by infective micro-organisms. Chemicals derived from true licorice have shown anticancer activity in animal studies and in laboratory cultures of human cancer cells. Additionally, true licorice may have some ability to improve functioning of the immune system. None of these potential effects is well understood and many more studies are needed to confirm or disprove all of them.
True licorice is also thought to have mild influences on sex hormones. It may either increase or decrease natural amounts of the female hormone, estrogen. Animal studies show that high doses of true licorice may prevent estrogen from attaching to estrogen receptors, thereby reducing estrogen's effects. In other studies, true licorice seemed to speed up the body's breakdown of estrogen, but only if blood levels of estrogen were already low. If estrogen levels were high, true licorice appeared to have the opposite effect. Taking true licorice may also alter testosterone levels in men. Much more research is needed to understand the possible hormonal effects of true licorice.
Chemical Makeup: Glycyrrhizic acid, its potassium and calcium salt provide the sweet tastes of glycyrrhizin, hydrolized into two molecules glucuronic acid and one molecule 18 b-glycyrrhetic acid. Also contains 24-hydroxyglycyrrhetic acid [1] , licorice saponins A3, B2,C2,D3, F3, G2, H2, J2, K, and K2. The hydrolized substance also contains uralenic acid.
About 8% of the licorice plant is made up of a glycoside called glycyrrhizin. Glycosides are chemicals that may have many effects in the body. Glycyrrhizin specifically reduces the activity of two enzymes that break down prostaglandin E (PGE). Low levels of PGE are associated with stomach conditions such as colic, stomach inflammation, and ulcers. By interfering with the body’s removal of PGE, glycyrrhizin allows more PGE to circulate in the blood. The resulting increased levels of PGE may increase the production of stomach mucus and decrease the production of stomach acid. Both effects help to protect stomach tissue, so true licorice has been used to treat ulcers and other stomach conditions. Glycyrrhizin also encourages the formation of mucus in the respiratory tract. This increase may make respiratory tract mucus less sticky and may also promote its elimination from the body. In addition, very sweet substances such as licorice are known to enhance the elimination of mucus from the lungs. Therefore, true licorice has been used to treat respiratory conditions such as bronchitis. It may also be used to soothe a sore throat. Other chemicals in true licorice are known to suppress coughing, so it may be included in cough syrups and cough lozenges as a cough suppressant, as well as a flavoring.
Dosages: Small dosages are used as moderating and synergizing herbs while large dosages can increase blood pressure. Long term usage of large dosage can also cause edema and hypokalemia. Using gan cao with aspirin may increase the irritation of the stomach.
Get your SleepatilBottles!
