I don't have the complete paper, but this link shows a lot of it. They gave 5cc of licorice twice a day, which equals 136 mg of polyphenol-rich extract of licorice. I don't know how this relates to my Organic Licorice Root Extract 20:1 Powder amazon.com/gp/product/B079N...
Efficacy of oral administration of licorice as an adjunct therapy on improving the symptoms of patients with Parkinson's disease, A randomized double blinded clinical trial 2019 sciencedirect.com/science/a...
Abstract
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Licorice preparations are used as neuroprotective remedies in Persian ethnomedicine, in order to prevent from disabilities in neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson's disease (PD).
Aim of the study: This study was designed to determine the licorice (root of Glycyrrhiza glabra L.) effectiveness as an adjunct treatment in the PD management.
Material and methods: In this double-blinded trial, 128 patients were assessed for eligibility criteria. Seventy-eight patients were ineligible and 11 of them refused from participating. Thirty-nine PD patients (YAHR staging ≤ 3) were divided into two groups by random. The patients received oral licorice or placebo syrups with a dose of 5 cc, twice a day for 6 months. High-performance liquid chromatography and spectrophotometric instruments determined licorice syrup constituents. The patients' situation for Unified Parkinson's rating scale (UPDRS) was assessed every 6 weeks for the duration of six months. In addition, patients' blood pressure, blood glucose, sodium and potassium levels, quality of life and dizziness were determined.
Results: Six weeks after intervention, total UPDRS, daily activities and tremor were significantly improved with a considerable effect size. A significant better motor test and rigidity scores were observed 4 months after licorice intake (p > 0.05). No electrolyte abnormality, significant changes in blood pressure or blood glucose levels were observed during the study. Each 5cc of syrup contained 136 mg of licorice extract with 12.14 mg glycyrrhizic acid, and also 136 μg of polyphenols.
Conclusion: The licorice intake could improve the symptoms in PD patients without serious adverse events.
Results: Each 5cc of syrup contained 136 mg of polyphenol-rich extract of licorice with 12.14 mg of glycyrrhizic acid, 136 μg of polyphenols, and 2.6 μg of flavonoids. The stability test indicated no microbial contamination within six months of shelf life.
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From the full text of the study in your main post, which is behind a pay wall, they found that after six months, the treatment arm improved by about 2 points on the UPDRS scale, whereas the control group declined by about 2 points. It is a modest improvement which may be due to the MAO – B action.
Presently we have summarized the antiviral and antimicrobial activities of licorice. Many studies found that several components were responsible for the antiviral and antimicrobial activities through different mechanisms. Licorice contains more than 20 triterpenoids and nearly 300 flavonoids. Among them, only two triterpenes, GL and GA have been reported to have antiviral effects. They can weaken virus activities by inhibiting virus gene expression and replication, reducing adhesion force and stress, and reducing HMGB1 binding to DNA. They can also enhance host cell activities by blocking the degradation of IκB, activating T lymphocyte proliferation and suppressing host cell apoptosis. In contrast, flavonoids, especially chalcones, play an important role in the treatment of bacterial infection by decreasing expression of bacterial genes, inhibiting bacterial growth and reducing the production of bacterial toxin.
In addition, many studies have reported that the six active compounds listed in this paper, GL, GA, LCA, LCE, GLD and LTG, possess other activities. For example, GL and GA also have antitumor39, 40, anti-inflammatory41, 42, and immunoregulatory activities12, 43, 44. LCA, LCE, LTG and GLD also have inhibitory effects on diabetes45, 46, 47, 48. All of these reports demonstrate potentially broad applications for these agents. In addition, there are many other compounds isolated from licorice with different pharmacological activities. For example, isoliquiritigenin (ISL) shows effective immunoregulatory activity49, glabrol has an inhibitory effect on diabetes50, and dehydroglyasperin C (DGC) has hepatoprotective activity51.
Among the six compounds listed in this paper, only GL has been clinically developed as a drug. As the most important marker component in licorice, the development of GL preparations has a long history in China, from GL tablets to ammonium glycyrrhizinate, diammonium glycyrrhizinate and magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate (MgIG). All of the above GL preparations possess antiviral and antimicrobial activities. Diammonium glycyrrhizinate inhibits cell infection by pseudorabies virus (PrV) and decreases cell apoptosis during PrV infection52. Compared with diammonium glycyrrhizinate, the fourth generation GL preparation, MgIG, has better lipophilic properties, higher targeting activity and fewer adverse reactions. It has been used in treating liver disease53, 54, 55, pulmonary fibrosis56 and testicular injuries57. However, reports about mechanisms of antiviral and antimicrobial activities of MgIG are still very limited. The development of new licorice preparations will improve the safety and efficacy of licorice-related products.
In many African countries with poorly developed health care systems, viruses and bacteria are significant sources of disease. More than 2 billion people have been exposed to HBV over the world, and the situation in some areas of Africa is much more serious58. The development of effective and affordable licorice-related medicines could introduce dramatic improvements in treating the many prevalent diseases of third world populations. It is hoped that the present work will facilitate the development of improved licorice preparations with antiviral and antimicrobial activities.
Context: Increasing incidence and impact of inflammatory diseases have encouraged the search of new pharmacological strategies to face them. Licorice has been used to treat inflammatory diseases since ancient times in China.
Objective: To summarize the current knowledge on anti-inflammatory properties and mechanisms of compounds isolated from licorice, to introduce the traditional use, modern clinical trials and officially approved drugs, to evaluate the safety and to obtain new insights for further research of licorice.
Methods: PubMed, Web of Science, Science Direct and ResearchGate were information sources for the search terms ‘licorice’, ‘licorice metabolites’, ‘anti-inflammatory’, ‘triterpenoids’, ‘flavonoids’ and their combinations, mainly from year 2010 to 2016 without language restriction. Studies were selected from Science Citation Index journals, in vitro studies with Jadad score less than 2 points and in vivo and clinical studies with experimental flaws were excluded.
Results: Two hundred and ninety-five papers were searched and 93 papers were reviewed. Licorice extract, 3 triterpenes and 13 flavonoids exhibit evident anti-inflammatory properties mainly by decreasing TNF, MMPs, PGE2 and free radicals, which also explained its traditional applications in stimulating digestive system functions, eliminating phlegm, relieving coughing, nourishing qi and alleviating pain in TCM. Five hundred and fifty-four drugs containing licorice have been approved by CFDA. The side effect may due to the cortical hormone like action.
Conclusion: Licorice and its natural compounds have demonstrated anti-inflammatory activities. More pharmacokinetic studies using different models with different dosages should be carried out, and the maximum tolerated dose is also critical for clinical use of licorice extract and purified compounds.
Licorice is a perennial herb. It’s mostly grown in Greece, Turkey, and western Asia. It’s been used since ancient times as a flavoring agent. It’s also been used as an expectorant, helping to clear excess mucus from the upper and lower airways.
The medicinal parts of the plant are the unpeeled dried roots and runners, and the underground stem (rhizome). Licorice contains the compound glycyrrhizin, which is 50 times sweeter than sugar. Taking in too much glycyrrhizin glycoside from ingesting too much licorice in food or supplement form can cause fluid retention and lead to elevated blood pressure (hypertension).
Uses as a medicine
Licorice is mainly used a flavoring agent. It’s used in products such as toothpaste, throat lozenges, and tobacco. Most "licorice" candy is flavored with anise oil and not real licorice.
A few clinical trials outside the U.S. show that licorice extract given as a shot may help treat the hepatitis C virus, although more research is needed.
Licorice has also been used historically in traditional Chinese medicine and other integrative medicine approaches for its adaptogenic properties to enhance resistance and recovery from stress-related responses.
Claims not backed up
Note that this section reports on claims that have not yet been proved through studies.
Licorice has been linked with a wide range of claims. It may help:
Ease a cough and bronchitis
Treat allergies
Reduce inflammation, especially in the stomach
Lower high cholesterol and triglyceride levels
Prevent plaque, gum disease, and tooth decay
Treat microbial or viral infections, including viral liver disease
Protect your liver
Treat snakebites. It may be used as an antivenin.
Suppress your immune system
Treat tetanus and globefish toxins
Act as a possible antidote for the toxic effects of cocaine abuse
Aid in treating skin issues when put on the skin
How much to take
Licorice comes in capsules and tablets, and as a liquid extract. Follow the dosing instructions on the label and work with a naturopathic physician, functional medicine doctor, or herbalist who is trained in botanical medicine.
Side effects, toxicity, and interactions
Licorice can cause serious side effects if you take too much of it or use it for too long. It has an effect similar to aldosterone. Aldosterone is a hormone that causes your body to retain salt (sodium) and lose potassium.
Taking too much licorice can cause high blood pressure. This can be severe. It can cause the following symptoms:
Swelling because your body is retaining water (edema)
Headache
Lack of energy (lethargy)
Heart failure or cardiac arrest
You can even become poisoned from eating too much candy that contains real licorice or using licorice-containing tobacco.
You shouldn’t take licorice if you have certain health issues. These include:
Low potassium levels (hypokalemia)
Chronic hepatitis
Cholestatic liver disease
Liver cirrhosis
Heart rhythm issues and other heart diseases
High blood pressure
Severe kidney problems
A tumor in your adrenal glands (pheochromocytoma)
Aldosteronism
Untreated hypothyroidism
You also shouldn’t take it if you drink a lot of alcohol. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding also shouldn’t use this herb.
Don’t take licorice while fasting. Doing so can lead to a serious electrolyte imbalance.
Licorice can also interact with some medicines. Thiazide water pills (diuretics) may increase the amount of potassium you lose when used with licorice. Licorice may also increase the effects of digitalis. This is because digitalis sensitivity is increased by low potassium levels.
Licorice may interfere with the effects of aldactone. This is a medicine used to treat high blood pressure. Talk with your healthcare provider before you take licorice.
You also shouldn’t take licorice if you take warfarin. It may increase your metabolism and decrease the effectiveness of warfarin.
"In conclusion, licorice extracts have been used for more than 2,000 years as a medicinal plant and its consumption should not be limited by the possible onset of pseudohyperaldosteronism, since it can offer many other interesting therapeutic applications."
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Gut Microbiome: Their Respective and Concert Effects on Healthcare 2020frontiersin.org/articles/10...
Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., also named licorice, has been commonly used for sore throat and gastrointestinal diseases. After administering different doses of licorice aqueous extracts to mice, they found that the proportion of Bacteroides gates decreased significantly, and the proportion of phylum Firmicutes increased and became dominant. Bacteroides was reported to be associated with IgA in humans and may cause colitis, and more phylum Firmicutes than Bacteroides lead to more efficient absorption of food calories. Therefore, it is speculated that licorice aqueous extract can promote intestinal absorption, anti-inflammatory effect, and treatment of abdominal pain (Xu et al., 2018). Diammonium glycyrrhizinate (DG), the main component of licorice root extracts, is a compound of the natural bioactive pentacyclic triterpenoid glycoside, can protect against nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in mice through the decreasing of Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio and endotoxin-producing bacteria such as Desulfovibrio, and elevate the abundance of probiotics such as Proteobacteria and Lactobacillus. DG can also augment the levels of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria such as Ruminococcaceae to promote SCFA production, and restoration of intestinal barrier (Li et al., 2018).
The regulation of TCM on human health can also be reflected in other microbial communities, including saliva and tongue coating (Jiang et al., 2012; Liang et al., 2014; Li, 2015). For instance, through a network pharmacology approach (Li, 2015), the tongue coating microbiome have been found to be associated with various diseases including colorectal cancer (Liang et al., 2014) and “cold-disease” (Jiang et al., 2012). Therefore, the regulation of TCMs can be reflected in microbial communities of various human body habitats, including gut and oral habitats, indicating quite diverse microbial-based approaches for noninvasive probing of human health status.
Inhibition of Pathogens by TCM
In recent years, with the widespread use of synthetic and semisynthetic antibiotics, the problem of bacterial resistance has become increasingly serious in clinical fields. Pathogenic bacterial infections are critical factors that may affect the development and severity of the disease. TCM was reported to possess a broad-spectrum antibacterial effect. Therefore, systematic study on the antibacterial activity of TCM and the further development of new drugs have become the focus of more and more researchers.
In PwP, hypotension and hypertension are more common and liquorice root is noted for causing hypertension or exacerbating existing hypertension and this would be an important consideration before deciding to try it as the rate of hypertension in PwP is estimated at over 60%.
I don't know about PD drug interactions. I am not suggesting people use Licorice. Please see Art's warnings above.
I am using Licorice extract. I have not been diagnosed with PD (and my sore left shoulder is a lot better now, so maybe I will avoid a diagnosis). I also have a blood pressure cuff so I am keeping an eye on that. So far, so good.
So I have been slacking on my Licorice the last couple weeks. Coincidentally (maybe not) I am getting lightheaded when I stand again. This symptom had gone away. Licorice may have been helping.
BTW: I have not been diagnosed with PD. I have REM Sleep Behavior Disorder, a sore left shoulder and thigh, and facial dermatitis.
I have Broccoli and Daikon Radish sprouts every day. I sprout them together 2 TBS Broccoli and 1 TBS Radish, so my sprouts are 2/3 Broccoli. I have about 60 grams of sprouts a day. Every other day I have them in a smoothie. Then the odd day I make a salad or put them on meat.
I have a High School Degree Albert is the scientist.
I’m researching everything I can’t to help my husband. His freezing episodes are intense and everyday. I’m really interested in this treatment I’m just confused about the dosage . I did order the product on Amazon from the link. Dose that 1 scoop twice a day go along with the PD treatment?
I don't know what all PD treatments your husband is on. I have not seen any interactions between licorice and levadopa. There are conditions where you would not want to be taking licorice: webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingre...
You should join Zoom calls Marc hosts on Sat and Sun. People discuss their supplements.
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Albert is the scientist.
The Effect of Curcumin on Idiopathic Parkinson Disease: A Clinical and Skin Biopsy Study
How many know that H2, hydrogen water has positive effects for those with Parkinsons? I didn't know.
How much significant is this news? 
Thumbs up for Nilotinib - Phase II Trials
