Post Date April, 15 2023
A recent news report by the BBC in the UK stated that excessive consumption of licorice, which is used as a medical or dietary additive, can cause damage to human sexual function.
The BBC stated that this research report was presented by Dr. Mamud Mossadai of Shaheed Baihaisti Medical University in Iran at an academic conference of the British Pharmacological Society.
Dr. Musatai pointed out that excessive consumption of licorice can reduce the secretion of male hormones, leading to sexual dysfunction such as decreased libido. Dr. Musatai studied 20 healthy men and asked them to take 1.3 grams of licorice root extract (containing 400 milligrams of glycyrrhetinic acid with the special taste of licorice) daily for 10 consecutive days, and collected their blood samples for analysis. The results showed that the testosterone values of all experimental subjects were significantly lower than normal.
As is well known, glycyrrhetinic acid, as a medicinal herb, is widely used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, colds, influenza, and chronic fatigue, and has significant therapeutic effects. In addition, glycyrrhetinic acid is also added in small amounts to desserts, chewing gum, toothpaste, and some medicinal teas. Some tobacco manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies also use glycyrrhetinic acid to enhance the taste of their products. Some chewing gum contains up to 24 milligrams of glycyrrhetinic acid. In South Korea, the content of glycyrrhetinic acid in some medicinal teas even reaches 45%.
For this reason, the European Union has issued a research report that explicitly recommends that people's daily intake of glycyrrhetinic acid should not exceed 100 milligrams.
