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Licorice extract relieves canker sores
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Licorice/Wikipedia
Canker sores—they’re painful, ugly, and all too common, affecting about 20 percent of Americans. But there’s good news: research shows that an extract in licorice root is effective in relieving the pain, speeding up healing, and reducing the size of these mouth sores.
Licorice and canker sores
An over-the-counter patch medicated with an extract (glycyrrhiza) from licorice root was tested against no treatment in 46 people who had canker sores (also known as aphthous ulcers). After seven days of treatment in the 2008 double-blind study, the size of the ulcers in the people treated with the licorice extract was significantly smaller than those in the non-treatment group, in which the size increased by 13 percent. The licorice root patch not only helped reduce pain after just three days of treatment, it also sped up healing of the sores.
In a smaller but more recent study (2009), 15 patients with canker sores were treated with licorice patches or placebo. The licorice patches caused a significant reduction in pain, size of the sore, and inflammation associated with the sores.
Because having canker sores can significantly interfere with your ability to eat, drink, or even speak, fast and effective treatment is important.
More about canker sores
Canker sores are not cold sores: they are a common form of mouth ulcer that appears more often in women than in men. They usually appear on the inner surface of the cheeks and lips, tongue, and base of the gums.
Common causes of canker sores are stress, trauma to the mouth (e.g., biting your tongue or cheek, dental work), food allergies, certain foods, hormonal changes, dietary deficiencies (e.g., iron, folic acid, or vitamin B12), and use of certain medications. They also occur with viral infections. If both your parents have a history of cancer sores, the likelihood that you will develop them is as high as 90 percent.
For a list of herbalists and herbal medicine specialists in Phoenix and other areas in Arizona, see the altMD website.
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You may also want to read another article about the healing powers of licorice: “Licorice may prevent colorectal cancer”
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