A substance we all know as the main ingredient of a classic candy may actually be good for your teeth: licorice.
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It seems like every year there’s a new darling ingredient of the Skincare industry – acai berries, chia seeds, argan oil… Some are wonderfully effective and stick around for good, while others are little more than trends that fade quickly without any impact. This year’s popular addition, seen in all matter of skincare lines and brands, is the extract of Glycyrrhiza Glabra, commonly known as licorice root – though it’s only new to us here in the western hemisphere, having been a staple of Eastern medicine for centuries, prized since ancient times for its broad range of health and beauty benefits.
The potent extract is made from the small, rough brown licorice root, which smells and tastes like the candy but shares little else with its sweet cousin. A brilliant inclusion to a skincare regime, licorice has a gentle brightening and soothing action. Used in cleansers, serums, moisturisers and spot treatments, it helps fade sun damage and hyper-pigmentation safely for all skin tones, while blocking melanin production to prevent more from forming. Skin is left brighter, clearer and hydrated. Full of potent antioxidants with powerful anti-inflammatory effect, licorice root extract is particularly soothing and effective for inflamed, red, and acne-prone skin, as well as tired, dull and dehydrated complexions. The root even contains a compound that works as a mild sunscreen, shielding from UVA/UVB rays, so that your newly bright and rejuvenated skin stays that way.
Want to try a little licorice flavour in your routine? Look for products that contain the extract (sometimes listed as Glycyrrhetinic acid) amongst the first half of the listed ingredients – this means that there’s an active amount in the formula, enough to really benefit your skin. The products listed below all use licorice as an active ingredient, and are a great way to try out the sweet treat for your skin.
Dull, splotchy, sun-damaged? Try the Alpha H Liquid Gold line, which fuses the power of licorice with glycolic acid for a glowing, exfoliated and brightened visage. Super by Perricone, First Aid Beauty and Jurlique also offer great, natural brightening lines that use licorice as an active ingredient.
Red, irritated, Rosacea-prone? Jurlique’s Herbal Recovery, Eucerin’s Anti-Redness and Murad’s Redness Therapy use licorice to soothe and protect inflamed and sensitive skin.
Breakouts, unbalanced, oily? Murad and Super by Perricone both offer acne-prone skin relief with lines that use the antiseptic, balancing and healing properties of licorice to gently help treat and prevent breakouts.
Won’t it be nice to feel a little less guilty next time you eat a jumbo sized bag of licorice laces in one sitting? Just tell yourself you’re doing it for your skin…….
A new German study has found that licorice root may contain anti-diabetic properties.
In addition to having anti-inflammatory properties, substances called amorfrutins from the plant’s root were found to reduce blood sugar levels in mice.
Furthermore, the study, published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week , found the substance helped prevent the mice from developing a fatty liver and improved insulin resistance, leading scientists to suggest that licorice root could be used in the treatment of complex metabolic disorders.
In their study, the amorfrutins worked by activating various genes that reduced the plasma concentration of certain fatty acids and glucose, researchers said. The reduced glucose level, in turn, prevented the development of insulin resistance.
But before you go tucking into a bag of black licorice candy, scientists point out that the concentration of amorfrutins is too low to be effective in sweets or tea.
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It provides the raw material for liquorice candy, calms the stomach and alleviates diseases of the airways: liquorice root. Chosen as the "Medicinal plant 2012", the root has been treasured in traditional healing since ancient times. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered that liquorice root also contains substances with an anti-diabetic effect. These amorfrutins not only reduce blood sugar, they are also anti-inflammatory and are very well tolerated. Thus, they may be suitable for use in the treatment of complex metabolic disorders.
Natural substances have a surprising and often largely unexploited potential in the prevention and treatment of common diseases. For example, liquorice root Glycyrrhiza contains different substances that help to alleviate disorders of the airways and digestive system. It has been used for millennia in traditional healing and is mainly administered in the form of tea. A team of researchers working with Sascha Sauer from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin has now discovered that the plant from the papilionaceae or leguminous family might also be effective in the treatment of adult (type 2) diabetes. The scientists identified a group of natural substances with an anti-diabetic effect, the amorfrutins, in the plant's edible root.
The substances, which have a simple chemical structure, are not only found in liquorice root, but are also in the fruit of the Amorpha fruticosa bush. The new anti-diabetic agents were named after this plant, which is native to the US, Canada and Mexico. As the researchers demonstrated using diabetic mice, the amorfrutins not only have characteristics that reduce blood sugar, they are also anti-inflammatory in their effect. Moreover, they also prevent fatty liver – a common disease caused by excessively fat-rich nutrition.
"The health-beneficial effects are based on the fact that the amorfrutin molecules dock directly onto a receptor in the nucleus called PPARγ," explains Sascha Sauer. PPARγ plays an important role in the cell's fat and glucose metabolism. The binding of the amorfrutin molecules activates various genes that reduce the plasma concentration of certain fatty acids and glucose. The reduced glucose level prevents the development of insulin resistance – the main cause of adult diabetes.
"Although there are already drugs on the market that affect the PPARγ receptor receptor, they are not selective enough in their effect and cause side effects like weight gain and cardio-vascular problems," says Sascha Sauer. In contrast, as demonstrated by the studies carried out to date, the amorfrutins are very well tolerated. "However, drinking liquorice tea or eating liquorice will not help to treat diabetes," explains the scientist. "The concentration of the substances in the tea and liquorice is far too low to be effective." The researchers therefore developed special extraction processes to obtain the amorfrutins from the plant in sufficient concentrations. This could be used to produce amorfrutin extracts on an industrial scale.
The newly discovered active substances not only seem to hold great promise for the treatment of complex metabolic disorders, they may also be suitable for prophylactic use. "The amorfrutins can be used as functional nutritional supplements or as mild remedies that are individually tailored to the patient," says Sascha Sauer. "In view of the rapid spread of metabolic diseases like diabetes, it is intended to develop these substances further so that they can be used on humans in the future." To do this, the researchers must now test the effect of the substances and the plant amorfrutin extracts in clinical studies on diabetes patients.
More information: Amorfrutins are potent anti-diabetic dietary natural products, PNAS, published online before print April 16, 2012, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1116971109
It provides the raw material for liquorice candy, calms the stomach and alleviates diseases of the airways: liquorice root. Chosen as the "Medicinal plant 2012", the root has been treasured in traditional healing since ancient times. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin have now discovered that liquorice root also contains substances with an anti-diabetic effect. These amorfrutins not only reduce blood sugar, they are also anti-inflammatory and are very well tolerated. Thus, they may be suitable for use in the treatment of complex metabolic disorders.
Natural substances have a surprising and often largely unexploited potential in the prevention and treatment of common diseases. For example, liquorice root Glycyrrhiza contains different substances that help to alleviate disorders of the airways and digestive system. It has been used for millennia in traditional healing and is mainly administered in the form of tea. A team of researchers working with Sascha Sauer from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics in Berlin has now discovered that the plant from the papilionaceae or leguminous family might also be effective in the treatment of adult (type 2) diabetes. The scientists identified a group of natural substances with an anti-diabetic effect, the amorfrutins, in the plant's edible root.
The substances, which have a simple chemical structure, are not only found in liquorice root, but are also in the fruit of the Amorpha fruticosa bush. The new anti-diabetic agents were named after this plant, which is native to the US, Canada and Mexico. As the researchers demonstrated using diabetic mice, the amorfrutins not only have characteristics that reduce blood sugar, they are also anti-inflammatory in their effect. Moreover, they also prevent fatty liver – a common disease caused by excessively fat-rich nutrition.
"The health-beneficial effects are based on the fact that the amorfrutin molecules dock directly onto a receptor in the nucleus called PPARγ," explains Sascha Sauer. PPARγ plays an important role in the cell's fat and glucose metabolism. The binding of the amorfrutin molecules activates various genes that reduce the plasma concentration of certain fatty acids and glucose. The reduced glucose level prevents the development of insulin resistance – the main cause of adult diabetes.
"Although there are already drugs on the market that affect the PPARγ receptor receptor, they are not selective enough in their effect and cause side effects like weight gain and cardio-vascular problems," says Sascha Sauer. In contrast, as demonstrated by the studies carried out to date, the amorfrutins are very well tolerated. "However, drinking liquorice tea or eating liquorice will not help to treat diabetes," explains the scientist. "The concentration of the substances in the tea and liquorice is far too low to be effective." The researchers therefore developed special extraction processes to obtain the amorfrutins from the plant in sufficient concentrations. This could be used to produce amorfrutin extracts on an industrial scale.
The newly discovered active substances not only seem to hold great promise for the treatment of complex metabolic disorders, they may also be suitable for prophylactic use. "The amorfrutins can be used as functional nutritional supplements or as mild remedies that are individually tailored to the patient," says Sascha Sauer. "In view of the rapid spread of metabolic diseases like diabetes, it is intended to develop these substances further so that they can be used on humans in the future." To do this, the researchers must now test the effect of the substances and the plant amorfrutin extracts in clinical studies on diabetes patients.
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Christopher Weidner, Jens C. de Groot, Aman Prasad, Anja Freiwald, Claudia Quedenau, Magdalena Kliem, Annabell Witzke, Vitam Kodelja, Chung-Ting Han, Sascha Giegold, Matthias Baumann, Bert Klebl , Karsten Siems, Lutz Müller-Kuhrt, Annette Schürmann, Rita Schüler, Andreas F. H. Pfeiffer, Frank C. Schroeder, Konrad Büssow and Sascha Sauer
Amorfrutins are potent anti-diabetic dietary natural products
PNAS, published online before print April 16, 2012, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1116971109
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft: http://www.mpg.de
Thanks to Max-Planck-Gesellschaft for this article.
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Licorice root is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra. It contains glycyrrhizin which is sweet syrup.
The licorice plant is a legume which is part of the pea and bean family. It is native to Southern Europe and certain parts of Asia. Licorice root extract has been known for many years to have medicinal properties.
To obtain the licorice root extract the root of the plant needs to be pounded, it then needs to be boiled in water, partial evaporating of the water results in a syrup and if the water continues to evaporate then this results in a brown crystalline powder. The plant has small spikes of lilac-colored flowers with bean-like pods; these contain three or four seeds.
Licorice root helps support your adrenal gland; it also cleanses the colon and supports lung health. Licorice root is used to treat stomach and intestinal ulcers. It is also used to relieve rheumatism and arthritis. Licorice root is also great for treating menopause and relieving menstrual cramps
Licorice root extract is used to reduce inflammation and help soothe irritated skin. It contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that are used in the successful treatment of eczema and rosacea. It will help soothe your skin from the effects of both of these skin conditions.
A product that I would highly recommend is ZENMED Anti-Redness Mask. It is such an excellent product in the treatment against rosacea. It helps minimize the redness and calms down any flushing that you may be experiencing. It is a very gentle product and can even be used on your eyelids. You won’t find any aggressive chemicals in this product that will irritate your skin further.
Licorice root extract can provide so many benefits to your skins health and research is constantly confirming how effective it is for problem skin.
