The efficacy, effects and contraindications of licorice

Many people know about licorice, and it is the most effective traditional Chinese medicine for treating various diseases. Many Chinese medicines contain licorice. There are also many foods that contain licorice ingredients. Because its sweetness is many times that of sucrose, such as candy, chewing gum, chocolate, and many beverages, licorice has a wide range of uses.

Licorice herbal food, naturally grown. It is about twenty to one hundred centimeters long, with a reddish-brown or grayish-brown surface and many lines. It has good effects in clearing heat and detoxifying, removing phlegm and relieving cough. Let's take a look at its effects and functions.

Benefits of Licorice

Licorice nourishes the spleen and replenishes Qi, clears away heat and detoxifies, removes phlegm and relieves cough, relieves pain, and harmonizes various medicines. It is used for spleen and stomach weakness, fatigue, palpitations and shortness of breath, cough with excessive sputum, cramps and pain in the abdomen and limbs, carbuncles and sores, and to relieve the toxicity and potency of drugs.

Effects of Licorice

1. It is used for heart qi deficiency, palpitations, irregular pulse, spleen and stomach qi deficiency, fatigue, etc. The former is often used in combination with cinnamon twig, such as Guizhi Gancao Decoction and Zhigancao Decoction. The latter is often used together with Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, etc., such as Sijunzi Decoction and Lizhong Pills.

2. Used for carbuncle, sore throat, etc. It can be used alone, orally or topically, or in combination. For carbuncles and ulcers, it is often used together with honeysuckle, forsythia, etc., which can work together to achieve the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying, such as the immortal prescription life-saving drink. For sore throat, it is often used together with Platycodon grandiflorum, such as Platycodon grandiflorum soup. In case of pesticide or food poisoning, it is often taken with mung beans or boiled in water with saposhnikovia divaricata.

3. Used for asthma and cough. It can be used alone or in combination with other drugs. For example, Erchen Decoction is used to treat cough caused by damp phlegm; Linggan Wuwei Jiangxin Decoction is used to treat cough and asthma caused by cold phlegm; Sangxing Decoction is used to treat cough caused by dry phlegm; Platycodon Decoction is used to treat cough and spit of fishy and purulent phlegm caused by heat toxicity; and Gancao Ganjiang Decoction is used to treat cough and spit of saliva. In addition, it is often used in combination for wind-heat cough, wind-cold cough, and hot phlegm cough.

4. It is used for stomachache, abdominal pain and gastrocnemius spasm pain, etc. It is often used together with peony, which can significantly enhance the efficacy of treating spasm pain, such as Peony and Licorice Decoction.

5. Used to moderate the potency of certain medicines. For example, this product is used in the Chengqi Decoction to alleviate the laxative effect of rhubarb and Glauber's salt and their irritation to the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, this product is often used to harmonize various medicines in many prescriptions.

Licorice contraindications: Licorice should not be used together with aspirin, indomethacin, phenylbutazone and other drugs, as it may induce or aggravate ulcers. It should not be taken together with hypoglycemic drugs, insulin, or antihypertensive drugs. Try not to take licorice together with western medicine. As for food, taking licorice together with carp can cause poisoning.