Neutralizing Acid in the Esophagus

Clinical Validation of Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Extract

As mentioned earlier, deglycyrrhizinated licorice extract (DGL) was demonstrated to block inflammation by inhibiting certain enzymes and proinflammatory signaling molecules.

Scientists conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled study, specifically designed to test this licorice extract’s anti-inflammatory effects on those suffering from functional dyspepsia—a chronic disorder of the upper digestive tract. The multiple symptoms can include heartburn, bloating, nausea, belching, and burning and pain in the epigastric area (the esophagus just above the stomach). Functional dyspepsia affects one in every ten people.

The team enlisted 50 adult patients with functional dyspepsia. Subjects were randomly assigned either to a control arm that received a placebo or to an active arm that received 75 mg of deglycyrrhizinated licorice extract. Both placebos and extract were taken with a glass of water daily after food, in the morning and again at night.  All volunteers were asked to complete a series of symptom and quality-of-life scales at baseline and after 30 days of treatment.

Patients supplemented with the licorice extract reported a significant 51% reduction in their overall symptom scores, while the placebo patients experienced only a 29% symptom decrease.

Licorice-supplemented patients were also asked to rate themselves on a dyspepsia-specific scale that considered 10 gastrointestinal symptoms—upper abdominal fullness, upper abdominal pain, belching, bloating, early satiety, nausea, vomiting, regurgitation, heartburn, and loss of appetite.

Results showed a 55% decrease in these dyspepsia symptoms in the licorice extract group, while placebo patients showed only a 19% reduction. A substantial 56% of the supplemented subjects demonstrated improvements in what is known as a global efficacy score—a special index for the overall response to 30 days of intervention—while placebo subjects showed a 0% improvement.

The overall findings clearly demonstrate that these natural compounds provide fast heartburn relief, effective GERD prevention through improved esophageal motility, and symptom improvement in those with functional dyspepsia. No adverse events or side effects were reported in any of the studies.

Licorice Heals Stomach Lining and blocks H. pylori Growth

One of the most time-honored natural remedies for gastric upset is licorice root, an herbal extract. Modern research confirms what herbal practitioners have known for centuries: that licorice promotes healing of the stomach's lining.

According to Dr. Michael Baker, a research professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego, licorice has long been known to help promote the healing of ulcers. Baker notes that licorice-derived compounds have the effect of raising the local concentration of prostaglandins that promote mucous secretion and cell proliferation in the stomach, leading to healing of ulcers. An extensive review of the scientific literature on plant-based ulcer remedies confirms the clinical efficacy of licorice in promoting the healing of ulcers.

Recent studies have revealed how licorice may help promote this healing process. Animal research suggests that licorice reduces the inflammatory response leading to ulcer formation by inhibiting the production of pro-inflammatory molecules, including interleukins and tumor necrosis factor. The potent antioxidant activity of licorice also contributes to its anti-ulcer activity.

Licorice extract does much more than promote healing of the stomach lining. Even more important, various extracts of licorice have been shown to block the growth of H. pylori in the laboratory—even of strains of the bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotic clarithromycin. Licorice extract's effectiveness against clarithromycin-resistant strains has led scientists to propose that licorice may have a place as an alternative therapeutic agent against H. pylori.

Further analysis of different extracts from licorice has shown that they contain several beneficial flavonoid compounds that can inhibit the growth of H. pylori, including strains of the bacteria that are resistant to the antibiotics amoxicillin and clarithromycin. This remarkable finding led scientists to propose that such compounds from licorice may be useful preventive agents for peptic ulcer or gastric cancer in H. pylori-infected individuals.

High doses of compounds known as glycyrrhizinates, which are found in licorice, have been associated with various side effects, including high blood pressure, low blood potassium levels, hormonal changes, and diarrhea. Scientists have found that these side effects can be avoided by removing glycyrrhizin from the licorice, without reducing the activity of licorice in alleviating ulcer symptoms and in blocking H. pylori growth. Licorice from which glycyrrhizinates have been removed is known as deglycyrrhizinated licorice, or DGL.

Licorice may specifically protect against ulcers caused by NSAIDs. Research has shown that coating aspirin with licorice before feeding it to rats reduced the number and size of ulcers that subsequently formed, cutting their incidence by more than half, from 96% to 46%. NSAID-induced damage to gastric mucosal lining was reduced to a greater extent when DGL was given in combination with the acid-suppressing drug cimetidine, as compared to administering cimetidine alone.

When human volunteers who were being treated with aspirin (975 mg three times a day) also took 350 mg of DGL with each dose of aspirin, they demonstrated less blood loss in the stool than did patients who took aspirin without licorice. DGL is believed to stimulate defense mechanisms that help prevent ulcer formation and also promote the healing of damaged mucosal lining in the stomach. 

Summary

Human studies demonstrate that proper use of low-cost nutrients can safely neutralize esophageal acidity—without disrupting gastric acid production. They also improve esophageal motility, which helps prevent acid reflux and improves protection of delicate esophageal tissue.

Calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, and deglycyrrhizinated licorice extract have been shown to confer symptomatic relief from heartburn and dyspepsia.

Those who seek to reduce or eliminate their reliance on proton pump inhibiting drugs should consider taking 1-2 chewable tablets containing these three nutrients after meals and at bedtime.

Material used with permission of Life Extension. All rights reserved.