Neurologic Effects of Licorice: A Review

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is an herbal medicine with several pharmacologic properties in ancient traditional medicine. Studies have provided evidence on its clinical efficacy in variety of medical conditions. There are evidences implying the neuroprotective role of licorice extract and its pharmacologically active ingredients in acute and chronic neurodegenerative processes. In the present study, we made a thorough search on existing publications on neuroprotective effects of licorice both in molecular/cellular and human/animal in vivo studies. There is strong evidence on both molecular and functional animal/human levels that suggest licorice extract or its pharmacologically active ingredients assert neuroprotective effects in acute and chronic neurologic disorders including ischemic stroke, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Licorice extract can be used safely in therapeutic doses for optimizing the treatment of a variety of neurodegenerative disorders as well as decreasing the extent of neural tissue damage and neurologic deficits after cerebrovascular accidents.