July 09, 2026

For more than 2,000 years, Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has been treasured throughout traditional herbal medicine as one of nature's most versatile botanical medicines. While often recognised simply for its sweet flavour, hello sweets, beverages and lollies, modern research reveals an extraordinarily complex phytochemical profile that helps explain why Licorice has remained a cornerstone of herbal wellness traditions across cultures.

Today, scientific investigation continues to uncover the remarkable mechanisms behind this ancient herb, particularly its role in supporting the body's natural response to stress, digestive wellbeing, and overall vitality.

A Botanical Rich in Bioactive Compounds

Licorice root contains an impressive diversity of naturally occurring phytochemicals. Approximately 40–50% of the dried root consists of water-soluble compounds, including:

• Triterpene saponins
• Flavonoids
• Phenolic compounds
• Coumarins
• Amino acids
• Natural saccharides
• Pectins
• Mineral salts
• Volatile oils

These compounds work together in a complex botanical matrix, contributing to Licorice's wide-ranging traditional uses and emerging scientific interest. And contribute to Licorice's 6 Star A rating:

Anti-inflammtory / Antibacterial / Antioxidant / Adaptogen / Anti-viral / Anti-ageing

Among these constituents, one stands above the rest.

Glycyrrhizin — The Signature Compound

The principal active constituent of Licorice is glycyrrhizin (glycyrrhizic acid), naturally occurring at approximately 2–9% of the root.

After consumption, beneficial intestinal bacteria convert glycyrrhizin into its active metabolite, glycyrrhetic (glycyrrhetinic) acid. This metabolite is estimated to be 200–1,000 times more biologically active than glycyrrhizin itself and is responsible for many of Licorice's best-known physiological actions.

This remarkable transformation highlights the important relationship between herbal nutrition and the gut microbiome, where our intestinal bacteria activate many plant compounds into their most beneficial forms.

Supporting the Body's Natural Stress Response

One of Licorice's most fascinating qualities is its classification as an adaptogenic herb.

Adaptogens are botanicals that help the body adapt to physical, emotional, and environmental stress while supporting healthy physiological balance.

Unlike stimulants, adaptogens work by supporting the body's own regulatory systems.

Research suggests glycyrrhetic acid supports this process by temporarily slowing the conversion of cortisol into its inactive form, cortisone, through inhibition of the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2).

This allows cortisol to remain active for longer, helping the body mount an appropriate response during periods of increased demand before natural feedback mechanisms restore balance.

Rather than creating cortisol, Licorice supports the body's ability to utilise the cortisol it already produces as part of a healthy stress response.

Note: stay tuned for our next blog dropping soon around Cortisol and Skin Health.

Understanding the Adrenal Connection

The body's stress response is orchestrated largely by the adrenal glands—two small triangular glands located above the kidneys.

These remarkable glands perform several essential functions.

The Adrenal Cortex

The outer portion of the adrenal gland produces hormones including:

• Glucocorticoids such as cortisol, which help regulate energy metabolism and the body's response to stress.
• Mineralocorticoids, important for maintaining healthy fluid and electrolyte balance.
• Androgens, which contribute to hormone production and overall wellbeing.

The Adrenal Medulla

The inner portion produces the catecholamines:

• Adrenaline
• Noradrenaline

These hormones prepare the body for immediate action during periods of acute stress—often referred to as the "fight or flight" response.

Together, these hormones help coordinate energy production, metabolism, immune regulation, cardiovascular function, and resilience during life's daily demands.

Now's a good time to sip on a delicious herbal tea as you digest all of this information...Rest Easy with Licorice of course!

Traditional Digestive Support

Long before modern science explained its mechanisms, Licorice earned a reputation as one of herbal medicine's premier digestive botanicals.

Historical medical texts from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Ancient Greece, and European herbal traditions describe Licorice as a valuable herb for soothing and protecting the digestive tract.

Modern research suggests its naturally occurring compounds may help support the integrity of the gastrointestinal mucosa and promote healthy digestive comfort, contributing to its long-standing traditional use.

A Whole-Plant Approach

One of the greatest strengths of Licorice lies not in a single compound, but in the synergy of its complete phytochemical profile.

Flavonoids provide antioxidant activity.

Phenolic compounds contribute protective botanical compounds.

Saponins support many of Licorice's traditional applications.

Minerals and polysaccharides add nutritional complexity.

Together, these naturally occurring constituents demonstrate why whole botanical ingredients continue to be valued within holistic wellness traditions.

The Mayella Philosophy

At Mayella, we believe wellness begins by working with the body's innate intelligence.

Botanicals like Licorice remind us that nature offers remarkable complexity—supporting balance not through force, but through nourishment, resilience, and harmony.

Combined with nutrient-dense whole-foods and complementary herbs, Licorice represents one example of how traditional botanical wisdom and modern nutritional science continue to converge, helping support everyday wellbeing from the inside out.

But wait...there's more. Let's revisit and go through some of these key points a little more:

Research & Evidence: What Modern Science Reveals About Licorice Root

For centuries, traditional medical systems recognised Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) as a botanical capable of supporting resilience, digestive wellbeing and vitality. Today, advances in phytochemistry, endocrinology and nutritional science are helping explain many of these long-observed benefits.

Rather than relying on a single active ingredient, Licorice demonstrates what researchers refer to as botanical synergy—a sophisticated interaction between hundreds of naturally occurring compounds that work collectively within the body.

1. A Complex Botanical Rich in Bioactive Phytochemicals

Chemical analyses have identified more than 300 compounds within Licorice root, including over 20 triterpenoid saponins and approximately 300 flavonoids. These include:

• Glycyrrhizin (glycyrrhizic acid)
• Glycyrrhetic (glycyrrhetinic) acid
• Liquiritigenin
• Isoliquiritigenin
• Glabridin
• Licochalcone A
• Coumarins
• Polysaccharides
• Phenolic antioxidants

Researchers increasingly recognise that these compounds do not function independently. Instead, they operate within a natural phytochemical network that contributes antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and adaptogenic activities.

This whole-plant complexity helps explain why herbal medicine has traditionally favoured complete botanical extracts over isolated compounds.

Traditionally over millenia, this humble root been used for gastrointestinal problems, oral health, ulcers, respiratory infections, cough, bronchitis, fertility, PCOS, arthritis, and skin conditions.

2. The Gut Microbiome Unlocks Licorice's Activity

One of the most fascinating discoveries surrounding Licorice involves the important role of the intestinal microbiome.

The principal constituent, glycyrrhizin, has relatively modest biological activity until it reaches the large intestine.

Beneficial bacteria possessing specialised β-glucuronidase enzymes convert glycyrrhizin into glycyrrhetic acid, the metabolite responsible for many of Licorice's physiological effects.

This transformation highlights an emerging concept in nutritional science:

Our gut microbiome doesn't simply digest food—it activates many plant medicines into their most biologically useful forms.

As research into the gut microbiota continues, Licorice is becoming a valuable example of the intimate relationship between plant compounds and microbial metabolism.

3. Supporting the Stress Response Through Cortisol Regulation

Perhaps the most extensively researched action of Licorice involves its interaction with the body's stress hormone, cortisol.

Cortisol is produced by the adrenal cortex and is essential for:

• maintaining healthy blood glucose
• regulating immune activity
• supporting cardiovascular function
• assisting metabolism
• responding to physical and emotional stress.

Normally, cortisol is rapidly converted into inactive cortisone by the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11β-HSD2).

Research demonstrates that glycyrrhetic acid temporarily inhibits this enzyme.

Rather than increasing cortisol production, this action allows naturally produced cortisol to remain biologically active for longer before being metabolised.

This mechanism is believed to contribute to Licorice's traditional classification as an adaptogen, supporting resilience during periods of increased physiological demand while allowing normal hormonal feedback systems to maintain homeostasis.

4. Supporting Healthy Adrenal Function

The adrenal glands may be small, yet they influence almost every system within the body.

Located above each kidney, they coordinate numerous hormones involved in:

• energy metabolism
• immune regulation
• electrolyte balance
• blood pressure
• reproductive hormones
• stress adaptation.

The adrenal cortex produces:

• Cortisol
• Aldosterone
• Adrenal androgens

Meanwhile, the adrenal medulla releases:

• Adrenaline (epinephrine)
• Noradrenaline (norepinephrine)

These hormones help the body respond appropriately to both acute and ongoing stressors.

Rather than stimulating the adrenal glands directly, Licorice appears to support the body's efficient utilisation of cortisol through its well-documented enzymatic interaction, illustrating a sophisticated mechanism distinct from stimulants.

5. A Long History of Gastrointestinal Support

Licorice has one of the longest recorded histories of use for digestive health.

Historical texts from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Ancient Egyptian medicine and European herbalism consistently describe Licorice as a soothing botanical for the digestive tract.

Modern investigations suggest multiple mechanisms may contribute to these traditional observations.

Research indicates Licorice constituents may help:

• support healthy mucus production
• promote mucosal integrity
• assist epithelial repair
• encourage healthy gastric circulation
• provide antioxidant protection against oxidative stress within gastrointestinal tissues.

These findings continue to support its longstanding reputation as one of herbal medicine's premier digestive botanicals.

6. Antioxidant and Cellular Protection

Licorice flavonoids—including glabridin, liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin—have attracted considerable research attention for their antioxidant properties.

Laboratory studies suggest these compounds may:

• neutralise free radicals
• reduce lipid peroxidation
• support mitochondrial health
• protect cellular membranes
• assist normal inflammatory balance.

While antioxidant activity alone does not determine clinical benefit, these findings contribute to our understanding of Licorice as a broad-spectrum botanical supporting healthy ageing and cellular resilience.

7. Botanical Adaptogens and Whole-Body Resilience

Adaptogenic herbs have become an expanding field within integrative medicine.

Unlike stimulants, adaptogens help support the body's ability to maintain equilibrium under changing physiological conditions.

Licorice joins a respected group of adaptogenic botanicals traditionally used to promote resilience, including herbs such as:

• Ashwagandha
• Rhodiola
• Schisandra
• Holy Basil.
• Maca

Each supports resilience through different biological pathways.

Licorice's unique contribution lies in its interaction with cortisol metabolism, making it one of the few adaptogens with a clearly characterised enzymatic mechanism.

Key Scientific Takeaways

Current research supports Licorice as a remarkably sophisticated medicinal plant whose actions extend well beyond its naturally sweet flavour.

Scientific evidence demonstrates that Licorice:

• contains hundreds of bioactive phytochemicals

• relies on healthy gut bacteria to activate its primary constituent

• supports normal cortisol metabolism through inhibition of 11β-HSD2

• contributes adaptogenic activity through modulation of the body's natural stress response

• provides antioxidant flavonoids that support cellular resilience

• has centuries of traditional use supporting digestive wellbeing, now increasingly supported by modern physiological research.

As science continues to explore the relationship between botanicals, the microbiome and human physiology, Licorice remains one of the most compelling examples of how traditional herbal wisdom and modern evidence-based nutrition continue to intersect.

Selected Research

Asl, M.N. & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2008). Review of Pharmacological Effects of Glycyrrhiza spp. and its Bioactive Compounds. Phytotherapy Research.

Pastorino, G., Cornara, L., Soares, S., Rodrigues, F., & Oliveira, M.B.P.P. (2018). Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): A Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review. Phytotherapy Research.

Wang, Z.Y. & Nixon, D.W. (2001). Licorice and Cancer Prevention. Nutrition and Cancer.

Fiore, C., Eisenhut, M., Ragazzi, E., et al. (2008). Antiviral Effects of Glycyrrhiza Species. Phytotherapy Research.

Isbrucker, R.A. & Burdock, G.A. (2006). Risk and Safety Assessment on Licorice Root. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology.

European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP). Monographs on Glycyrrhiza glabra.

World Health Organization (WHO). WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants – Glycyrrhiza glabra.

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