New research published in the December 2014 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, shows that a component found in in the plant, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, also known as Chinese licorice, may inhibit the development of metabolic disorders by stopping the activation of NLRP3, a protein involved in the disease process. Researchers identified isoliquiritigenin as having the ability to attenuate high-fat, diet-induced obesity, type 2 diabetes and hepatic steatosis in mice.
Chinese Licorice root stands next to ginseng in importance in Chinese herbalism. It is one of the most widely used of all Chinese herbs.
Kiyoshi Takatsu, Ph.D., a researcher involved in the work at the University of Toyama in Toyama, Japan says identification of small compounds which inhibit the NLRP3 inflammasome is needed to design effective therapeutics. It is the hope of Dr. Takatsu that these findings will provide new information and strategy which can be exploited for the development of a new herbal medication for those diseases.
Read the article over at the Journal of Leukocyte Biology