Chinese Licorice Extract for Anti-aging, Antibacterial and Breath-freshening Effects

Extracts from herbal materials are inherently complex, and Chinese licorice is no exception. To date, close to 40 different compounds have been characterized in this extract, most of which have a rather unusual structure (see Figure 1). The main components are isoflavonoids; the isoflavans licoricidin and licorisoflavan A account for more than 15% of the extract. A number of other isoflavans, isoflavanones and isoflavones; licoricone and licoisoflavone B; pterocarpans; flavones such as liquiritigenin; and 2-arylbenzofurans have also been described (see Chinese Licorice Compounds).1 In addition, the extract contains coumarins, coumestans, fatty acids, glycosides of liquiritigenin and isoliquiritigenin, and triterpene glycosides, i.e., saponins which give licorice roots its typical sweet taste.

Log in to view the full article
More in Literature/Data