Licorice root has one of the widest independent adoption histories of any remedy on the Atlas: quantities of it were found buried in Tutankhamun's tomb around 1325 BCE, suggesting it was valued highly enough in ancient Egypt to accompany a pharaoh into the afterlife. Ancient Chinese medicine independently developed extensive use of licorice root, where it remains one of the most frequently used herbs in Traditional Chinese Medicine formulas today, often included as a "harmonizing" ingredient believed to balance other herbs in a mixture.
Greek and Roman physicians, including Hippocrates, documented licorice for coughs and thirst. Its name derives from the Greek "glykyrrhiza," literally "sweet root" — appropriate, since its natural sweetness (from the compound glycyrrhizin) is many times stronger than table sugar, which is exactly why long-term or high-dose use carries real safety considerations.
Licorice's clearest modern evidence is for GERD and heartburn, specifically using deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) — a processed form with the concerning glycyrrhizin compound removed. A 2025 randomized, placebo-controlled trial found a standardized DGL extract produced clinically meaningful improvement in reflux symptoms and quality-of-life scores compared to placebo, with benefits appearing within the first two weeks. Separate trials have found similar heartburn relief with different DGL formulations.
For peptic ulcers, licorice has a genuinely long clinical history — a licorice derivative called carbenoxolone has been studied since 1948 for ulcer healing — but a recent systematic review noted that despite this long history, rigorously validated data on optimal dosing and efficacy remains surprisingly limited. Licorice also shows good trial support for oral ulcers, with a review of 6 studies (314 subjects) finding significant reductions in pain, ulcer size, and healing time. Overall, licorice earns a genuine "Moderate": real RCT support exists across several uses, but generally based on a modest number of trials per specific use case.
Dried root chewed directly, brewed as tea, or ground into powder for pastes. Deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) forms are a modern pharmaceutical development, not a traditional preparation.