The licorice plant is a legume that is native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. Glycyrrhizin, one of the important components in licorice root, is 50 times sweeter than sugar and gives licorice its special taste. Also, licorice root components contain aglycone glycyrrhizic acid, polysaccharides, different polyphenols, coumarin derivatives and steroids. Licorice supplement are generally standardized to their content of glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin is the active agent in licorice root that combats illnesses suchlike as upper respiratory infections, and is said to lessen the symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL)

When taken in high amounts licorice (glycyrrhizin) produces effects parallel to those of the  hormone aldosterone, causing fluid retention, increased blood pressure, and loss of potassium. To avoid this, firms have found a way to remove glycyrrhizin from licorice, producing the safer product DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice). In more amounts, licorice root containing  glycyrrhizin, has been shown to cause high blood pressure and side effects linked to heart problems.

Licorice Benefits

Licorice root covers compounds that act as a soothing or coating agent that soothes the lining of the throat to decrease soreness and irritation. Due to the adverse reaction profile of licorice, many studies have been performed using the deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) extract that is free of glycyrrhizin. As DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) has been shown to reduce the gastric bleeding caused by aspirin, DGL is strongly indicated for the avoiding of gastric ulcers in individuals requiring long-term therapy with ulcer-causing medicines, such as aspirin, other NSAIDs, and corticosteroids. There is a German E Commission (an official government agency similar to the  FDA) Monograph for licorice that lists it use as beneficial for common cold of the upper respiratory and for gastric ulcers.

Hepatitis

In one study, participants who took a combination of licorice, silymarin (milk thistle), and different other herbs had improved measures of liver enzymes and tests of liver function. To treat hepatitis clinical trials in Japan have used a licorice root extract (glycyrrhizin) to treat hepatitis B and hepatitis C, and have showed that glycyrrhizin reduces liver illness. Glycyrrhizin has been used in Japan for a long while as a therapy for chronic hepatitis disease.A glycyrrhizin containing preparation (Stronger Neo-Minophagen C), consisting of 0.2 % glycyrrhizin, 0.1 % cysteine and 2.0 % glycine in physiological saline solution, is used intravenously in Japan for the therapy of hepatitis. Shown to be efficient in preventing the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis C individuals. In two clinical trials, Stronger Neo-Minophagen C has been shown to significantly lower alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) concentrations, while simultaneously ameliorating histologic evidence of  necrosis and inflammatory lesions in the liver.

Anti-inflammatory

Recent researches have provided new findings of licorice antiinflammatory effects. A study reported in the December 1998 edition of “Pigment Cell Research” showed that licorice (glabridin), exert anti-inflammatory property owing to suppression of superoxide anion production and inhibition of cyclooxygenase. A study, published in the June 11, 2008 issue of “Pharmacological Research“, scientists evaluated the anti-inflammatory effects of glycyrrhizin extract in a mice model of acute inflammation caused by induced lung damage resulting in pleurisy characterized by fluid accumulation. Powerful anti-inflammatory activities were seen and measured parameters of the damage were prominent reduced. Experts concluded that the mechanism of prevention was through the NF-kappa B and STAT-3 activation pathways. According to a another research published in 2010 of the journal “Phytomedicine“, licorice root has the capability  to inhibit inflammation by acting on cycloxygenase andlipooxygenase enzymes.

Peptic Ulcer

Licorice has been used common in Europe to promote the improvement of peptic ulcers. Usually an supplementation containing, DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice), is used for ulcer therapy. Some researches demonstrated that licorice root -derived compounds can increase the concentration of prostaglandins in the digestive system that encourage mucous secretion from the stomach, as well as produce new cells in the stomach lining. In a study of deglycyrrhizinated licorice in gastric ulcer, 33 gastric ulcer patients were treated with either 760 mg, 3  times a day, or a placebo for 1 month.  There was a important greater decrease in ulcer size in the DGL group 78 percent, than in the placebo group 34 percent. Complete improvement occurred in 44 percent of those receiving deglycyrrhizinated licorice, however in only 6 percent of the placebo group.

Anticancer

Lab experiments have identified some components in licorice that may help prevent DNA mutations, inhibit tumor formation and moreover kill cancer cells. In animal-based studies, glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhizic acid reduced formation of colon, liver, breast and uterine cancers.

Anti-Diabetic

Scientists at the “Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics” have discovered that licorice root contains compounds with an anti-diabetic property. Experiment on mice, the researchers found that the consumption of amorfrutins reduced blood sugar levels and inflammation that would otherwise be present in the mice suffering from Type 2 diabetes.

Licorice Dosage

Commission E  recommends a daily intake dry extracts equivalent to 200 mg – 600 mg of glycyrrhizin. But, the Commission E  advises against using Licorice for more than 4  to 6 weeks without the guidance of a doctor.

The Kudzu root (Pueraria lobata) is a creeping vine that is native to Japan, throughout most of China and the southeastern United States. In Traditional Chinese Medicine where it is known as “Ge Gen“, kudzu is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. Kudzu contains isoflavones like puerarin, genistein, daidzin and daidzein. The aggregate isoflavone content varies from 1.77–12 percent, with puerarin in the highest concentration, followed by daidzein and daidzin.

Kudzu Benefits

The isoflavones in kudzu extract may alleviate alcohol intake and alcohol withdrawal symptoms. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 38 people diagnosed with alcoholism were assigned to receive either kudzu extract 1.2 g twice daily or a matching placebo. No statistically significance difference in craving and sobriety scores were noted after 1 month between kudzu and placebo. In a study Clinical and Experimental Research, reported in the May 2005 edition, people who took kudzu drank an average of 1.8 beers per session, compared with 3.5 beers consumed by those who took a placebo.

Kudzu root extract generally reduced alcohol cravings within a week, and in over 80 % of cases, alcohol cravings were completely gone within 2 to 4 weeks of therapy. Scientists have discovered 2 compounds in kudzu that alter the enzymes that break down alcohol in the liver. Therefore, an alcohol byproduct called acetaldehyde builds up. As a result, a byproduct known as acetaldehyde will build up in the system causing nausea, stomach upset, and an  discomfort in the body. According to a study reported in the November 2009 edition of  Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research demonstrated that daidzin inhibits a liver enzyme called ALDH-2. (aldehyde dehydrogenase-2).

Several research suggests that puerarin, might alleviating signs and symptoms of chest pain when given by intravenously or mouth. This plant has a long history of use in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders, including angina, acute myocardial infarction, and heart failure. An intravenous  form of puerarin,  has been used in China to treat patients with ischemic stroke, the type of stroke that is caused by a blood clot.

“The University of Alabama at Birmingham” scientists have examined kudzu root extract. Their studies, shows kudzu alleviating a important proportion of the blood pressure rise that occurs in rats placed on a high salt diet. In addition, kudzu root extract has been demonstrated to decrease blood glucose, insulin and leptin in animal model of insulin resistance. Kudzu “may provide a dietary supplement that significantly decreases the risk and severity of stroke and cardiovascular disease in at-risk people,” the scientists say in a statement.

Kudzu Dosage

For alcoholism 2.4 g kudzu root extract daily. Standardised root extracts are used to treat angina pectoris. Practitioners of  “Traditional Chinese Medicine” recommend a daily dosage of 30 mg to 120 mg of kudzu to treat cardiovascular complaints.

Guarana (Paullinia cupana) is a plant that is native to northern Brazil and Venezuela. Produces bright red fruit with black seeds that are used for several aim. Guarana contains caffeine. Is an efficient stimulus, with 2.5 times more caffeine than coffee. Also contains theobromine and theophylline, which are chemicals similar to caffeine. The German researcher Theodore von Martius performed the first chemical analysis of guarana seeds in the 1700s. He isolated a bitter, white crystalline substance with a striking physiological action. Martius named this substance guaranine. The seeds and the gum of the guarana tree are manufactured and sold as, tablets, capsules, syrups and teas for a variety ofpurposes. Also guarana is often added to energy drinks.

Guarana Benefits

This plant contains phytochemicals such as theobromine, saponins, catechins and tannins. Phytochemicals have anticancer property, reduce the toxicity of some chemicals and help to protect our DNA. Guarana demonstrated antioxidant effects by inhibiting lipid peroxidation.

Guarana produces a stimulating property, due to the caffeine, theobromine, theophylline. Caffeine is centrally stimulating, has a positive inotropic and, in high concentrations, has a favorable chronotropic cardiac property. It relaxes the vascular muscles and the bronchial tube.

Some experiments show that guarana decreases platelet thromboxane synthesis and inhibits platelet aggregation. In 1989, a U.S. patent was filed on a guaraná seed extract which was property of inhibiting platelet aggregation. The patent described guaraná’s capability to avoid the formation of blood clots and to help in the breakdown of previously-formed clots. Clinical findings was presented in conjunction with the 1989 patent and anew in 1991 by a Brazilian research group that reported these antiaggregation effects.

By increasing your metabolic process, guarana can speed up the weight loss process. Studies show that has some effect on fat metabolism. This efficacy is associated with the methylxanthine content of guarana.

Guarana was shown to be influential against mental fatigue in young healthy people. One study has shown that extracts of ginseng and guarana, both alone and in combination, can enhance cognitive function. In a double-blind, counter balanced, placebo-controlled study of twenty-eight people aged 18 to 24, the cognitive and mood influences of single doses of ginseng, guarana, a combination of the two, and placebo were assessed. Each participant received 150 mg guarana dry extract, standardized to 11-13% alkaloid concentration, or 400 mg ginseng extract (G115), or a guarana/ginseng combination, or placebo per day. Compared with placebo, both guarana alone and ginseng alone, as well as the two combined, improved the subjects’ scores across the CDR test spectrum. Specifically, speed of attention was developed, with guarana producing the best.

Antibacterial effects against E. coli and Salmonella have been documented as well. Guarana, at a concentration between 16 and 128 microg/ml, showed a important antibacterial property against Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative.

Guarana Dosage

There is no proven effective dose for guarana. People react differently to caffeine, and different guarana products contain varying amounts of caffeine. For energy, some people use between 200 to 800 mg a day. The statutory level not to exceed is 12 mcg/ml of caffeine in the urine. Because guarana and another caffeine-containing products are considered stimulants, the “International Olympic Committee” bans the use of it among its competing athletes.

Side Effects

Greatly caffeine can lead to a fast heart rate, palpitations, anxiety, agitation, headaches, tremors, dehydration, nausea, and trouble sleeping. 10 g of caffeine is considered a lethal dose.

Seizures were reported in 4 healthy adults following consumption of energy drink that contains guarana along with other contents. Guarana has been reported to cause alterations in heart rhythms. A 25 year old woman with a pre-existing heart problem died after consuming an energy drink containing ginseng and guarana extracts. Was suspected to trigger severe fibrillation of the patient’s heart.

Individuals with high blood pressure, heart diseases, epilepsy, overactive thyroid, anxiety, and kidney illness should only use guarana under the supervision of their physician. Caffeine may cause miscarriage or may slow the growth of a developing fetus when given in doses greater than 300 milligrams a day. Therefore, is not recommended for women  who are pregnant or lactating.