1. Introduction
Liquorice root from Glycyrrhzia glabra L., also named as sweet
root is a ligneous perennial shrub growing in the Mediterranean
region, Asia Minor and Middle East and is also cultivated widely in
southern Russia. The medical use of Liquorice has a long history
and since more than 2000 years the preparation and application
of manifold liquorice extracts, mainly based on an aqueous
extraction, is well documented (Ody, 2000). Traditional uses of
liquorice are mainly in the treatment of peptic ulcer and as expectorant
for cough and bronchitis. For review on traditional uses
and pharmacological profiles of liquorice and its bioactive compounds
see Nassiri and Hosseinzadeh (2008). Modern review of