Glycyrrhiza glabra: Chemistry and Pharmacological Activity

Nature is an attractive source of new therapeutic candidate compounds as a tremendous chemical diversity is found in millions of species of plants, animals, marine organisms, and microorganisms as potential medicinal agents. This chapter of research is an effort to highlight the phytochemical/chemical constituents of an ancient medicinal plant G. glabra and their pharmacological importance. G. glabra is an old age medicinal plant that belongs to Leguminosae/Fabaceae/Papilionaceae family and commonly known as mulaithi in north India. The chemical composition of G. glabra is glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetic acid, isoliquiritin, isoflavones, etc., and their derivatives have been reported for several pharmacological activities like, expectorant, antidemulcent, antiulcer, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, etc. These phytochemicals hold strong promise for designing new herbal drugs, and derivatives of these compounds are being generated to evaluate their pharmacological purposes for future drug use. Natural products have been a prime source for the treatment of many forms of ailments, many of which are consumed daily with the diet. They provide significant protection against various diseases and disorders.