What are the active ingredients of licorice?
Licorice is a common Chinese herbal medicine with extensive medicinal value. In recent years, as people pay more attention to natural medicines and healthy lifestyles, the active ingredients and pharmacological effects of licorice have become a research hotspot. This article will introduce the main active ingredients of licorice in detail and demonstrate its chemical composition and pharmacological effects through structured data.
1. Main active ingredients of licorice
The active ingredients of licorice mainly include the following categories:
| Ingredient Category | specific ingredients | Content (%) |
|---|---|---|
| triterpene saponins | Glycyrrhizic acid, glycyrrhetinic acid | 2-10 |
| Flavonoids | Liquiritin, isoliquiritin | 1-3 |
| Polysaccharides | Licorice polysaccharide | 5-15 |
| Coumarins | licorice coumarin | 0.1-0.5 |
2. Pharmacological effects of active ingredients in licorice
The active ingredients of licorice have a variety of pharmacological effects. The following are their main effects and mechanisms:
| active ingredients | Pharmacological effects | Mechanism of action |
|---|---|---|
| Glycyrrhizic acid | Anti-inflammatory, immune modulation | Inhibit the release of inflammatory factors and regulate T cell activity |
| Glycyrrhetinic acid | Anti-ulcer, liver protection | Promote gastric mucosal repair and inhibit liver fibrosis |
| Liquiritin | Antioxidant, antitumor | Scavenge free radicals and induce tumor cell apoptosis |
| Licorice polysaccharide | Enhance immunity | Activate macrophages and promote antibody production |
3. Modern research progress on licorice
In recent years, the active ingredients of licorice have made significant progress in research in multiple fields. For example, glycyrrhizic acid has been confirmed to have a certain inhibitory effect on the new coronavirus, while glycyrrhizin polysaccharide has shown potential in tumor immunotherapy. The following are the hot topics on licorice research on the Internet in the past 10 days:
| Research areas | Research hotspots | research institute |
|---|---|---|
| Antiviral | Glycyrrhizic acid inhibits novel coronavirus replication | Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Anti-tumor | Liquiritin induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells | Peking University School of Medicine |
| Immunomodulation | Licorice polysaccharide enhances vaccine effect | Fudan University |
4. Application prospects of licorice
The active ingredients of licorice have broad application prospects in the fields of medicine, food and cosmetics due to their diverse pharmacological effects. For example, glycyrrhizic acid has been used to develop antiviral drugs, and liquiritin has been added to functional foods as an antioxidant. In the future, with the deepening of research, the active ingredients of licorice are expected to play a role in more fields.
5. Conclusion
The active ingredients of licorice mainly include triterpene saponins, flavonoids, polysaccharides and coumarins. These ingredients have various pharmacological effects such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor and immune regulation. Modern research has further revealed its potential in antiviral and tumor treatment, providing scientific basis for the development and utilization of licorice.
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