Five Wondrous Health Benefits of Licorice Root

Licorice root, known as sweet root in Greek, hails from Europe and Asia. Conventionally, Licorice root was used as a weed. But Europeans discovered a neoteric way of using it. They used it to make their tea flavorful and recommended it as their one-for-all cure concoction. With time, the Chinese too learned about the numerous health benefits of the root and started making its medicinal use. Following the footsteps of China, Licorice root has continued to be popular as herb across the world.

According to a report, Licorice root market is anticipated to register a healthy growth through 2028, owing to the spurring demand for Licorice root. Food and Beverages industry, Pharmaceutical industry, and Dietary Supplement industry are extensively introducing new ways to utilize this root and improve their products. The root that adds flavor to your food is coveted for its variety of applications.

Below are some of the reasons to adopt Licorice root:

• Helps in Weight Loss

Sugar, being the best pal of fat needs to be consumed only in small amounts. This creates a huge demand for artificial sweeteners to offset the conversion of glucose into fat in the body. However, such artificial sweeteners should be taken only in moderation as they cause pain in the abdominal areas, change in the vision, heart rate and even result in insomnia.

A prominent transformation is witnessed in the usage of Licorice rice as a replacement for raw sugar and artificial sweeteners and the Licorice root market is continuously enjoying this thrive. So, the next time you are on a diet and you feel the urge to grab that favorite sweet of yours or a bar of chocolate, try to replace it with a sweet prepared from the extraction of this root.

Additionally, Licorice root is rich in fiber content, which in turn helps the body feel full and induce weight loss.

• Acts as an excellent medicine for the treatment of skin and hair

The increasing pollution has a notable effect on the exposed skin and hair. Excessive heat can damage the skin tissues and make the hair frizzy and rough. This is the reason why sunscreens and various shampoo & conditioners are witnessing a surge in their demand. However, the disproportionate chemicals present in these creams can cause side-effects in the long-run.

Licorice, with its intrinsic antibacterial properties aids in treating eczema and cure inflammation by preventing the growth of certain enzymes responsible for it.

• Help you lead a stress-free life

The modern day is no lesser than a race. You are expected to be on your toes day in and day out in all walks of life. This creates pressure on individuals and they fall flat in the trap of stress. When you are under stress, the adrenal gland continuously produces cortisol and adrenaline in your body. As a consequence, there is an imbalance in the level of cortisol in the body.

Licorice root helps stimulate the adrenal gland and assists in maintaining the level of cortisol.

• Takes care of your oral health

Junk food and calorie-rich content consumed by people in a large amount directly have an impact on your dental health. These type of supplements have sugary content that produces an excessive amount of bacteria.

Multiple researchers have found out that the Licorice root contains essential compounds like licorisoflavan and licoricidin. These compounds have desirable effects on the teeth. They are proven to prevent the growth of the bacteria, thereby assisting healthy teeth.

• Induces Better Sleep

Stress is one of the dominant reasons for the increasing rate of insomnia. Additionally, anxiety as a result of stress leads to the difficulty in falling asleep. People often tend to opt for sleeping pills in order to induce better sleep, which has side-effects such as erratic behavior and memory loss in the long-run.

Licorice can be the ideal way to treat your sleeplessness. It consists of liquiritigenin and gabrol that helps in inducing sleep and eliminate the time taken to fall asleep. It also improves the duration of the sleep.

Ways to extract the benefits of Licorice Root

Anything in a moderate quantity does wonders to your health. The same is true for Licorice root.

• Licorice root can be used in multiple ways based on the cause of the problem. It can be used in the production of an ointment or a gel and can be applied to the skin. If you want to go for a natural way to treat your skin infection, you can create a paste of powdered Licorice root with the water and apply on the infected areas.
• The tea made out of licorice root is said to have wondrous effects for weight loss. You can directly use the root in the boiling water, let it simmer for a couple of minutes, and consume it.
• Owning to the myriads of health benefits that licorice root offers, many tablets are available in the market which you can consume directly with water if you find it difficult to tolerate its taste.

However, it is advisable to consult a certified medical expert before consuming licorice in any form.

Arslan Khan is currently living in Delhi, working as a Senior Research Manager @ Fact.MR. He is a blogger with unique content each time.