Medicinal Plant Research 2025, Vol.15, No.6, 283-290 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 283 Systematic Review Open Access Systematic Review of Anti-Inflammatory and Antiviral Properties of Glycyrrhiza Chunyu Li, Jiayao Zhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Research Center, Cuixi Academy of Biotechnology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: jiayao.zhou@cuixi.org Medicinal Plant Research, 2025, Vol.15, No.6 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0030 Received: 25 Oct., 2025 Accepted: 15 Nov., 2025 Published: 26 Dec., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Li and Zhou, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Li C.Y., and Zhou J.Y., 2025, Systematic review of anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties of Glycyrrhiza, Medicinal Plant Research, 15(6): 283-290 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2025.15.0030) Abstract Glycyrrhiza spp., a commonly used medicinal herb originating from plants of the genus Glycyrrhiza spp., exhibits significant anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities. The primary bioactive components of licorice include flavonoids, triterpenoids (including glycyrrhizic acid), polysaccharides, and other secondary metabolites. Many studies have reported that these compounds intervene in inflammation and viral infections through regulating various inflammatory mediators such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, key signaling pathways such as NF-κB, MAPK, JAK/STAT immune cell functions, and antioxidant and cytoprotective effects. The molecular mechanisms underlying the antiviral activity of licorice against viral replication and invasion have also been systematically explored both in vitro and in vivo. In recent years, critical roles of multi-omics approaches (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics), systems biology, and network pharmacology have been demonstrated in the study of the action mechanism of licorice bioactives, while the application of artificial intelligence and big data provides new instruments in the research of natural products. Licorice has the potential to be used in anti-inflammatory and antiviral therapy, as indicated by clinical studies, although its pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, standardized extraction, and safety need further assessment. The study will systematically summarize the progress, mechanisms, and application prospects of the anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities of licorice, providing theoretical guidance for the development of natural drugs, public health, and clinical use. Keywords Glycyrrhiza; Anti-inflammatory; Antiviral; Flavonoids/triterpenoids; Multi-omics 1 Introduction Botanically known as Glycyrrhiza spp., licorice has been one of the most commonly used traditional medicinal herbs for millennia in Chinese, Ayurvedic, and European medicine due to its sweet flavor and harmonizing properties in herbal formulations, with a wide spectrum of pharmacological effects including anti-inflammatory, antiviral, hepatoprotective, and immunomodulatory activities. Licorice is widely incorporated into traditional prescriptions for the treatment of respiratory, gastrointestinal, and immune-related disorders. Inflammation and viral infections are central to the pathogenesis of numerous acute and chronic diseases. The role of natural products with dual anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties is of increasing interest because they offer safer alternatives for treatments and multi-target possibilities. Licorice holds immense potential as a source of bioactive compounds for its use in preventive and therapeutic applications, and the known mechanisms of this product lay the basis for drug discovery and clinical translation (Pastorino et al., 2018). The major bioactive compounds of Glycyrrhiza are flavonoids, triterpenoids, especially glycyrrhizic acid, polysaccharides, and many other classes of secondary metabolites. Indeed, recent studies have shown that such compounds modulate key inflammatory mediators, including TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, together with immune cell function, oxidative stress, and viral replication pathways. Although these compounds have recently been identified and their pharmacological effects clarified, comprehensive mechanistic insights into the mode of action and clinical validation remain incomplete and, therefore, require an integrated approach (Bisht et al., 2021; Simayi et al., 2021). This study provides a comprehensive overview of the anti-inflammatory and antiviral actions of Glycyrrhiza, focusing on the key molecular mechanisms, major bioactive components, and translational applications. This study integrates data from multi-omics studies, preclinical experiments, and clinical research in a structured
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