Glycyrrhizin

Chemistry

 Glycyrrizin is a triterpene glycoside. It is extracted from licorice root. In the structural drawing below, the triterpene portion (glycyrrhetinic acid) is shown in red; the two iduronic acid residues are shown in blue. Glycyrrhetinic acid is not sweet.

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Molecular formula: C42H62O16
Molecular weight: 822.94

Biology

Glycyrrhizin is extracted from licorice root. It is used to sweeten and flavor many foods and pharmaceutical preparations. There is a long history of usage to treat illnesses such as peptic ulcer (inhibits the enzymes 15-hydroxy-prostaglandin dehydrogenase and delta-13-prostaglandin reductase); colds and other viral infections (may stimulate interferon production; reported expectorant/cough suppressant properties); microbial and parasitic infections (may stimulate immune system); cancers (again, possibly related to immune system function). See U.S. Pharmacist Vol. 23: 4 for a review. This review also points out side effects and possible toxicity from excessive consumption. Glycyrrhizin inhibits the enzyme which breaks down cortisol; this prolongs the effects of naturally produced cortisol in the body, leading to anti-inflammatory effects as well as to sodium retention/water retention/potassium loss caused by glucocorticoids.

Discovery

 Glycyrrhizin comes from the root of licorice, Glycyhrrhiza glabra. The plant is native to Turkey, Iraq, Spain, Greece, and northern China. The plant has been used for thousands of years for sweetening, flavoring, and for treatment of a variety of health problems, as described above.

Names

Glycyrrhizin
Glycyrrhizinic acid
Glycyrrhizic acid
Glycyrrhetinic acid glycoside
(3-beta,20-beta)-20-Carboxy-11-oxo-30-norolean-12-en-3-yl 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranuronosyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid
Ammonium salt:
Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate (MAG)
Magnasweet

Taste

Glycyrrhizin has a sweet taste with a characteristic licorice taste sometimes described as "cooling." The potency is about 50 times that of sucrose. The sweetness is slow in onset and tends to linger.

© by D. Eric Walters

Molecular formula: C42H62O16
Molecular weight: 822.94

Biology

Glycyrrhizin is extracted from licorice root. It is used to sweeten and flavor many foods and pharmaceutical preparations. There is a long history of usage to treat illnesses such as peptic ulcer (inhibits the enzymes 15-hydroxy-prostaglandin dehydrogenase and delta-13-prostaglandin reductase); colds and other viral infections (may stimulate interferon production; reported expectorant/cough suppressant properties); microbial and parasitic infections (may stimulate immune system); cancers (again, possibly related to immune system function). See U.S. Pharmacist Vol. 23: 4 for a review. This review also points out side effects and possible toxicity from excessive consumption. Glycyrrhizin inhibits the enzyme which breaks down cortisol; this prolongs the effects of naturally produced cortisol in the body, leading to anti-inflammatory effects as well as to sodium retention/water retention/potassium loss caused by glucocorticoids.

Discovery

 Glycyrrhizin comes from the root of licorice, Glycyhrrhiza glabra. The plant is native to Turkey, Iraq, Spain, Greece, and northern China. The plant has been used for thousands of years for sweetening, flavoring, and for treatment of a variety of health problems, as described above.

Names

Glycyrrhizin
Glycyrrhizinic acid
Glycyrrhizic acid
Glycyrrhetinic acid glycoside
(3-beta,20-beta)-20-Carboxy-11-oxo-30-norolean-12-en-3-yl 2-O-beta-D-glucopyranuronosyl-alpha-D-glucopyranosiduronic acid
Ammonium salt:
Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate (MAG)
Magnasweet

Taste

Glycyrrhizin has a sweet taste with a characteristic licorice taste sometimes described as "cooling." The potency is about 50 times that of sucrose. The sweetness is slow in onset and tends to linger.

© by D. Eric Walters