Is Licorice for Acid Reflux Symptoms Any Good in Adults? 

Is the use of Licorice for acid reflux any good? Is there any scientific evidence for it? This article breaks down everything regarding this topic.

What is Acid Reflux?

There is a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter. This entrance of the stomach is a ring of muscles that are in the shape of a valve, literally a gate of your stomach. Whenever you eat, the food first comes at this door which opens and then this food flows through the LES. After this flow, this door automatically closes. 

Due to certain reasons, this door can go with some anomalies and fails to close properly. This allows the acid produced by your stomach to flow back and go up into your esophagus. When this happens, you will feel heartburn, a common condition that means burning your chest area. This condition is called Acid Reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease termed GERD.

Reasons behind Acid Reflux Symptoms

Acid reflux is associated with lifestyle choices made by us including consumption of heavy meals, lying down after meals, lying on your back, and having a snack right before bed. Consuming tobacco is also a very common cause of heartburn. People also can get this problem with certain foods including chocolate, mint, garlic, onions, citrus, tomatoes, or meals high in fat. Drinks can also cause such symptoms including fizzy drinks, coffee, tea, or alcohol. 

Is Licorice for Acid Reflux Effective?  

Licorice which is also called Glycyrrhiza glabra, sweet wood, and STW 5 is effective in dealing with the symptoms of Acid Reflux. It contains peppermint and chamomile; two herbs often used for indigestion and also prove themselves very effective in dealing with symptoms of acid reflux. 

For the case of Acid reflux, Licorice is used in a processed form called Deglycyrrhizinated licorice or DGL. It is also essentially licorice but has been treated to make it safer to eat by eliminating a significant portion of glycyrrhizin. Because of this, DGL is safer to use over an extended period and interacts with drugs and medical conditions less frequently than licorice extract.

Although there are positive effects observed when it comes to licorice for acid reflux treatment but its effectiveness may still vary from person to person. However, DGL is shown to shield the esophagus from spilling acid in the condition of acid reflux. Based on preliminary data, licorice extract may be useful in the management of hepatitis C.

It should be noted that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate licorice. This means that different supplements may have different components, dosages, and levels of quality, and combined with another drug dosage can result in dangerously low potassium levels and any other side effects. Although there is research available showing that DGL has a significant improving impact on Acid reflux conditions the scale of this research is not very big.  

Licorice has many other uses for human medical conditions and is widely used to deal with sore throats and asthma. Strong research data suggests that gargling with licorice before undergoing anesthesia reduces the incidence of postoperative sore throat. A licorice is also shown to help lower body fat mass and decrease the hormone aldosterone.

One can buy DGL supplements which are available; they may be found in capsules or gels. Other options include gels, creams, and gargle fluids. However, make sure to consult your doctor before purchasing it and it should not be used haphazardly to cause adverse effects.

Wrapping Up:

When stomach contents reflux back up into your esophagus, it is known as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GER). It is widely proven that licorice for acid reflux symptoms has a soothing relation and is effective in dealing with such problems. 

But it should also be noted that any herbal medicine like DGL is a traditional method of promoting health and curing illness and it can also have ingredients that may have the potential to cause adverse reactions and to combine with other drugs, vitamins, or herbs. For these reasons, you ought to use herbs only under the guidance of a medical professional skilled in botanical medicine. This is why most doctors recommend OTC solutions for acid reflux.