Hindawi Publishing Corporation Case Reports in Medicine Volume 2009, Article ID 170735, 6 pages doi:10.1155/2009/170735 Case Report Liquorice Health Check, Oro-Dental Implications, and a Case Report Louis Z. G. Touyz Department of Periodontics Faculty of Dentistry, McGill University, 3640 University Street, Montreal, QC, Canada H3Y 2B2 Correspondence should be addressed to Louis Z. G. Touyz, louis.touyz@mcgill.ca Received 16 April 2009; Accepted 11 June 2009 Recommended by Mohammad Abdollahi Liquorice has an active substance, Glycyrrhizin which inhibits the conversion of precursor cortisol to cortisone by inhibiting the enzyme 11-betahydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. When imbibed, liquorice acts like hyperaldosteronism which presents with typical symptoms including high blood pressure, low blood potassium, and muscle pain and weakness. This article appraises physiological and pharmacological eﬀects on health of liquorice, critiques products containing liquorice, describes a typical case report of liquorice-induced hypertension, and appraises oral eﬀects from consumption of liquorice products. Copyright © 2009 Louis Z. G. Touyz. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. 1. Introduction Liquorice, or liquorice, is a uniquely tasting herb derived from Glycyrrhiza glabra, and has been used in medicine for thousands of years. Liquorice is used as a ﬂavorant in a variety of edibles, medicine, and tobacco, and is often innocently consumed in vast amounts without any regard or only with vague concepts of side eﬀects liquorice may produce. 2. Aim This paper appraises liquorice provides a reality check of its properties (botanical sources, chemical structure, active liquorice ingredient, physiological/pharmacological activity, some common liquorice containing consumables), their systemic impact on health, a typical case report of liquorice-induced hypertension, and eﬀects of consumption of liquorice on oro-dental structures. Important clinical management principles for moderating liquorice consump- tion are suggested. 3. Liquorice 3.1. Botany. It is the roots (rhizomes) and stolons of Glycyrrhiza glabra (a.k.a Sweet Root, Spanish or Italian Liquorice), which is the commonest variety source of liquorice. G.g lepidota is American wild liquorice, while G.g violacea and G.g glandulifera are Persian/Turkish and Russian varieties, respectively. Glycyrrhiza uralensis (a.k.a. Manchurian liquorice) is the species favoured for traditional Chinese Eastern Medicines. Liquorice ﬂavours are also found in the plants like Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Anise seeds (from Pimpinella anisum), and other plants [1]. 3.2. Active Ingredient. The active chemical ingredients imparting the unique liquorice taste are glycyrrhizic acid and its glucoside, glycyrrhizin (C42H62O16). These molecules are regarded as nearly synonymous, are powerful organoleptic ﬂavorants, and impart characteristic liquorice taste and aroma to mixtures in small concentrations [2]. 3.3. Properties, Physiology and Pharmacology. Glycyrrhizin is 50 times sweeter than sucrose. It retains, when sapid, a singular liquorice ﬂavour. The liquorice sweetness has a slower onset than sugar and lingers. Unlike artiﬁcial sweeteners like aspartame, saccharine, and cyclamates, it contains no sulfur molecule [3], and retains its sweetness when heated [2]. On hydrolysis glycyrrhizin yields 2 mols of glucuronic acid and 1 of glycyrrhetenic acid, a pentacyclic, tri-terpene which structure partially resembles that common to steroids, with a moiety attached.