Natural Effects of Licorice Tea

Licorice root, or glycyrrhizin, is a food that has traditionally been used medicinally by both Eastern and Western practitioners. It has a naturally sweet taste, making it an ingredient in teas and candies irrespective of its healing properties. Although licorice is a traditional cure for a variety of common ailments, you should use it cautiously if you are prone to hypertension because it can elevate your blood pressure.

Respiratory Function

• Licorice tea helps to clear bronchial passageways and support lung function. It helps to loosen phlegm, heal mucous membranes and ease sore throats. It is useful for addressing both the symptoms and the root causes of respiratory ailments, providing comfort and relief from coughs and congestion by coating mucous membranes and also helping to restore the health of the bronchial system by clearing the nasal and pulmonary systems. It can be prepared as a tea, and it is often used as an ingredient in cough syrups as well.

Support Adrenal Function

• Licorice tea is also useful for supporting adrenal function. When we experience ongoing stress for extended periods of time, such as with high pressure jobs or ongoing financial difficulties, our natural "fight or flight" reactions, which are supposed to be temporary jolts to deal with short term crises, deplete our adrenal systems, causing fatigue. Licorice helps to slow our body's natural process of breaking down the hormone cortisol. By maintaining cortisol levels, the herb helps to take pressure off of our adrenal glands, giving them an opportunity to regenerate.

Heal Stomach Ailments

• Licorice tea has been used at least since the time of Alexander the Great as a cure for stomach ailments, ranging from mild digestive difficulties to full blown ulcers. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, treatment with licorice caused a 50 percent reduction in the incidence of stomach ulcers among rats. Its function as a demulcent, or substance that coats mucous membranes--also useful for healing lung function--helps to protect the stomach and intestines. It also helps to balance high levels of stomach acidity that can cause gastrointestinal distress.