Licorice Derived Flavonoids May Fight Bacterial Gut Infection

A new flavonoid-rich supplement derived from licorice may significantly lower levels of Helicobactor pylori (H. pylori), a bacteria that has been shown to cause ulcers and, in some cases, stomach cancer.

Participants in the study included 100 individuals who had been diagnosed with H. pylori infections. Over the course of 60 days, half of the group took 150 mg of the flavonoid supplement while the other half took a placebo. The researchers measured bacteria levels through breath tests and stool samples at the onset of the study, the halfway point, and the end.

At the conclusion of the study, 56% of the flavonoid supplement group had no H. pylori in their systems. In comparison, only 4% of the placebo group showed those positive results.

Researchers from the D2L Pharma Research Centre in India conducted the study. It was published online ahead of print on March 27, 2013, in Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

The scientific name for licorice is Glycyrrhiza glabra. It is used as an ingredient in cough mixtures and throat lozenges. It has also been used to treat mouth ulcers, stomach ulcers, inflammatory stomach conditions and indigestion. It is also used to combat food poisoning in modern Chinese herbalism.