Licorice is a Chinese herb with a certain sweet taste. Its main effects are to treat cough, enteritis, oral ulcers, and gastric ulcers. There are many ways to use licorice, it can be taken directly as medicine, or brewed with hot water. However, due to the slight toxicity of licorice, it is important to pay attention to the method when making tea.
One: The Benefits of Brewing Licorice Tea
1. The main effects of licorice include tonifying the spleen and qi, clearing heat and detoxifying, resolving phlegm and relieving cough, relieving pain, and harmonizing various medications.
For people with poor spleen and stomach, fatigue, chest tightness, and cough, licorice tea is a necessary remedy. In traditional Chinese medicine, the main effect of licorice is believed to be regulating the body. When brewing licorice tea, it is important to use an appropriate amount of warm water so that its effects can be maximized.
2. Adrenal cortical hormone-like effect
Licorice extract, licorice glycoside, and glycyrrhetinic acid have a water and sodium retaining effect in healthy individuals and animals. Small doses of glycyrrhetinic acid (100ug per mouse) can cause thymic atrophy and adrenal weight gain in rats, producing a cortisone-like effect. At high doses, the cortisone-like effect is not obvious, only the mineralocorticoid-like effect is present.
3. Detoxifying effect Licorice extract and glycyrrhetinic acid have certain detoxification capabilities for certain drug poisoning, food poisoning, and endogenous metabolite poisoning.
The effective ingredient for detoxification is glycyrrhetinic acid. The detoxification mechanism is that glycyrrhetinic acid has an adsorption effect on toxins, its hydrolysis product, glycyrrhetinic acid glucuronic acid, can combine with toxins, and glycyrrhetinic acid has an adrenal cortical hormone-like effect, enhancing the detoxification ability of the liver.
4. Cough and asthma relief Glycyrrhetinic acid has a significant central antitussive effect.
Consuming a sufficient dose of glycyrrhetinic acid has anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects. However, glycyrrhizin in licorice has the effect of inhibiting bacterial growth and protecting the liver from damage, especially for people infected with the HIV virus, drinking licorice tea can resist the invasion of the virus.
5. Effects on the digestive system
Except for glycyrrhizin, licorice extract and licorice flavonoids have obvious protective effects on experimental ulcers in rats.
Two: Precautions for Brewing Licorice Tea
1. Do not use licorice tablets continuously for more than seven days.
Taking licorice tablets can easily lead to addiction because they contain some opioids. Long-term use of these substances can lead to addiction. Therefore, experts suggest that the continuous use of licorice tablets should not exceed one week. If you find that the symptoms of discomfort, such as cough, are relieved, you should stop immediately. Some people find that the effect of licorice tablets is not very good, so they casually increase the dosage, which can easily lead to symptoms such as cold sweat, runny nose, diarrhea, yawning, and restlessness. This indicates that our body has developed a dependence on the medication, so it is best to stop taking it immediately and consult a doctor at a professional hospital.
2. Children should not overdose on licorice tablets.
The opioids contained in licorice have a certain inhibitory effect on the central nervous system. If overdosed, it can cause respiratory system failure, leading to respiratory failure and seriously affecting our health. Experts tell us that children under one year old should take about a quarter of a licorice tablet each time. If a child has a cough, it is best to choose a cough medicine specifically for children. If it is necessary to take licorice tablets, be sure to follow the guidance of a professional doctor.
3. Overdose of licorice tablets can cause edema.
Because licorice contains glycyrrhizic acid, this substance can increase the incidence of pseudohyperaldosteronism. The main feature is the increase of certain hormones in the body, and these hormones will increase the potassium and sodium in our body. Sodium cannot be excreted from the body through urine, so there will be high blood pressure and muscle damage. With an increase in potassium, water retention occurs in the body, resulting in edema. In summary, if there are other diseases in the body, it is necessary to carefully take licorice under the premise of following the doctor's advice. This is responsible for oneself and one's family.
