When you get a cough, do any of your family members advise you to keep mulethi in your mouth for relief or offer you ‘adrak mulethi ki chai’?
Mulethi or licorice is a very common Bharatiya household spice and a potent Ayurvedic medicinal plant with immense health benefits in its roots. The botanists call it by the name Glycyrrhiza, which is derived from the Greek terms ‘glykos’ meaning sweet and ‘rhiza’ meaning root.
Licorice root is used in more than 252 Ayurvedic formulations, among which 179 are used internally and 69 externally. With more than 22 dosage forms, it is used in about 55 disease conditions.
Charak Samhita mentions 86 formulations, Sushruta Samhita mentions 27, Ashtanga Hridayam 45, Shrangdhara Samhita 31 and Bhavaprakasha 63. Among these, 27 are used in vatarakta (gout), 24 in jwara (various fevers), 17 in vrana (various types of wounds), 15 in netraroga (eye disease), 14 in visharoga (various acute infectious/ poisoning condition), 12 in viasrpa (erysipelas like skin issues), 9 in kushtha (skin disease), 8 in vajikarana (aphrodisiac), 7 in rasayana (rejuvenator) and mukharoga (mouth disease), etc. For a variety of medical applications, these formulations are made as different dosage forms like taila, ghrita, gutika, arishta, avleha, kashaya, varti, kwatha, lepa and churna.
It is known by various names across the country, such as :
Sanskrit: Yashtimadhuh, madhuka
Hindi : Jothi-madh, Mulethi
English: Licorice, Liquorice, Sweet wood
Bengali: Jasthimadhu, Jaishbomodhu
Kannada: Yashtimadhuka, atimadhura
Gujarati: Jethimadhu
Malayalam: Iratimadhuram
Marathi: Jeshtamadha
Oriya: Jatimadhu
Tamil: Atimadhuram
Telugu: Atimadhuram, Yashtimadhukam
Arab: Aslissiesa
Persia: Ausarehamahaka
France: Boisdoux
Germany: Sussholz
Licorice is Sheeta (cold) in nature, Guru (heavy) to digest, and Madhura (sweet) in taste. It is beneficial for eye problems due to its Chakshushya (good for eyes) property, and improves strength because of its Balya (strength provider) property. It also helps in improving sperm and semen quality due to its Shukral property.
Researchers discovered over 300 phytochemical compounds in Mulethi roots that have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, anti-cancer, and anti-diabetic properties.
According to its Ayurveda pharmacological properties, Charak Samhita has categorised Yashtimadhu in the following segments –
Jivaneeya: Promotes longevity
Sandhaneeya: Helps in bone fracture healing and wound healing
Varnya: Improves skin complexion
Kanthya: Improves voice
Kandughna: Relieves itching sensation (pruritis)
Chardinigraha: Relieves vomiting
Shonitasthapan: It checks bleeding
Mutravirajaneeya: Restores proper colour of urine
Snehopaga: Used in Snehana
Vamanopaga: Used in Vamana (emesis)
Asthapanopaga: Used in Basti Karma (rectal enema with decoctions)
Ayurveda defines Mulethi’s mode of action as vata pitta pacifying, daha shamana (pacifies burning sensation), keshya (beneficial for hair), vedana sthapana (pain/ sensation management), shothahara (anti- inflammatory action), nadibalya (strengthening to nerves), medhya (intellect promoting), chhardi nigrahana (stops vomiting), trishna nigrahana (pacifies thirst), vata anulomana (carmination), mridu virechana (mild purgation), shonita sthapana (haemostatic), kapha nissaraka (expectorant), kanthya (beneficial for throat), mootrala (diuretic), mootra virajaneeya (removal of abnormal colours of urine), shukra vardhaka (promotes formation of semen), varnya (complexion promoting), kandughna (pacifies itching), jwaraghna (management of various fevers), jeevaneeya (vitaliser), sandhaneeya (union promoting), rasayana (rejuvenator), balya (general tonic) and chakshushya (beneficial for eye disorders).
Ayurveda describes Yashtimadhu’s medicinal uses in a lot of clinical conditions:
- Vranashotha (inflammation of wound or ulcer)
- Visha (toxicity)
- Khalitya (falling of hairs)
- Palitya (graying of hairs)
- Shastrabhighataja vrana (wound due to weapons)
- Vatavikara (disorders due to vata)
- Vatarakta (gout)
- Amavata (rheumatoid arthritis)
- Shiroroga (diseases of the head)
- Vamana (vomiting)
- Trishna (thirst)
- Vibandha (constipation)
- Udarashoola (pain in abdomen)
- Amlapitta (hyperacidity)
- Paittika apasmara (epilepsy due to pitta)
- Hikka (hiccough)
- Raktavikara (blood disorders)
- Raktalpata (anaemia)
- Raktapitta (bleeding tendency)
- Shwasa (dyspnoea)
- Kasa (cough)
- Swarabheda (hoarseness of voice)
- Yakshma (tuberculosis)
- Urogata vrana (lung abscess)
- Parshwashoola (pain of pleurisy)
- Mootrakrichchhra (difficulty in micturition)
- Pooyameha (passing of pus in urine)
- Paittika prameha (diabetes due to pitta dosha)
- Shukrameha (passing of semen in urine)
- Varnavikara (disorders of complexion)
- Kandu (pruritis)
- Charma roga (skin disorders)
- Jeerna jwara (chronic fever)
- Samanya daurbalya (general weakness)
- Netra roga (eye diseases)
There are certain clinically proven Ayurveda remedies with Mulethi which can be safely used for managing certain non-acute conditions (it is strongly advised to consult an Ayurveda physician for seeking any guidance related to herbs/ medicinal plants) :
- Dressing wounds with Mulethi powder mixed with ghee promotes better healing and reduces pain.
- The oil prepared from Yastimadhu, fresh amla fruit with cow’s milk is used as nasya (putted into nostrils) to reduce hair fall.
- The intake of Yastimadhu’s powder with milk acts as rasayana (rejuvenating) particularly in promoting intellect.
- In case of hoarseness of voice, the paayas (rice with milk) prepared with it and mixed with ghee can be taken.
- In case of pain in the head, the affected parts when sprinkled with a mixture of milk and decoction of Yastimadhu, get relief.
- In epilepsy, it is pounded with kushmanda juice and is given for three days.
- Yastimadhu mixed in cow’s milk with sharkara (sugar) promotes lactation.
- The milk processed with Yashtimadhu, sharkara and kaashmarya’s bark promotes growth of the foetus.
- Yastimadhu mixed with amla, guda (jaggery) and sugar is used in urticaria.
- Its pressed snuff mixed with honey can be used in cases of hiccough.
- The paste of Yastimadhu mixed with nimba, haridra, daruharidra, nishotha along with ghee acts as a wound cleaning agent.
- Its decoction with patola, katuka, musta is useful in treatment of visham jwar (fever repeating at definite interval).
- Its decoction made with bilva, usheer, utpala, netrabala and shunthi is taken with honey to pacify pittaja atisaar(diarrhoea due to pitta dosha)
- The ghee made with Yastimadhu, shunthi, sharkara and honey is useful in vataja asrigdara (metrorrhagia due to vata dosha)
- The ghee made with Yashtimadhu, kharjura, mridwika, parushak and pippali pacifies the symptoms like swarbheda, kasa, shwasa and jwara present in raajyakshma (TB like conditions)
Modern science researches have also re-iterated the following pharmacological properties of licorice:
- Antiulcer Activity
- Antitussive and Expectorant Activity
- Skin Protecting Activity
- Protective against side effect of Radiation/Chemotherapy
- Protective Effect in Liver Diseases
- Anti-Microbial Activity
- Anti-Viral Effects
- Hypocholesterolaemic and Anti-Oxidant Effects
- Protective Effects in Focal Cerebral Ischemia
- Anti-Helicobacter Pylori Effect
- Anti-Thrombotic Effect
*The writer is an Ayurveda physician, DST Woman Scientist A, AIIMS New Delhi, and founder of Pratha Ayurveda.
