Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Real licorice like this (unlike anise-flavored candy) is a very effective medication that everyone should consider using in certain situations. However, if you have high blood pressure, you may want to avoid this one and consider taking DGL licorice. The wonderful master health guru Dr. Andrew Weil advises everyone to take DGL licorice. The chewable DGL from Amazon is a very good product for soothing the stomach and the whole digestive system. DGL means that the glycyrrhizin compound has been removed, making it safer for hypertensive folks. So why would anyone want to take this product? I take this one at certain times of the year because I don't have a hypertension problem, so I can get the benefits of glycyrrhizin. What does glycyrrhizin do for you? For me, the main reason to take this "whole" licorice is for the antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of glycyrrhizin. I discovered this while looking into Dr. Michelle Hardy's research on rotavirus (Washington State University). She found that licorice greatly reduced morbidity in calves infected with rotavirus. If you have ever had the vomiting and diarrhea from either norovirus or rotavirus infections, you know you never want to go through that again. So now in the fall, winter, or springtime when I hear about people in my work building getting the "stomach flu" I start taking the licorice. The glycyrrhizin in whole licorice also has antiviral properties against a range of other viruses, including HIV, hepatitis B and C, flaviviruses (like dengue, West Nile virus, and yellow fever) and even influenza. Glycyrrhizin interferes with receptor binding and or replication of many viruses. If you live on an island where tourists are bringing norovirus in from cruise ships, or work in a building where you have to share the restroom with lots of folks, or if you are traveling, licorice might be a good idea, especially when you are around other sick people (or mosquitoes). So, since the influenza vaccine is only partially protective against the major circulating strains this year, and since there will undoubtedly be some norovirus outbreaks everywhere, licorice can be a good idea. If you take prescriptions, talk to your doctor to see if it will interfere with any of them. Our whole health care system could save millions of dollars a year if more people took licorice during the cold/flu/"stomach flu" seasons. Stay well!