Glycyrrhizic acid and glycyrrhetinic acid have effects in relieving or eliminating inflammation, pain, allergy, and ulcer, protecting against virus, improving immunity, protecting liver and the like. Glycyrrhizic acid in injection form is now widely used for the clinical treatment of hepatitis; Carbenoxolone Sodium and zinc glycyrrhizate are used for treating gastric ulcer; and glycyrrhetinic acid in injection form is used for treating Addison's disease. Glycyrrhetinic acid, however, has a chemical structure partially similar to adrenal cortical hormone and thus produces side effects, typical of hormon pharmaceuticals, mainly aldosterone-like effects while used clinically in a large amount. These side effects lead to sodium retention and increased potassium excretion, thus resulting in edema, hypertension, hypopotassemia, etc. See Liang Qing, Pseudo-aldosteronosis caused by glycyrrhizic acid, Chinese Traditional and Herbal Drugs Communication, 1979, 6: 45-46; Wu P., Zhang Y, Liu Y, Effects of glycyrrhizin on production of vascular aldosterone and corticosterone, Horm—Res., 1999, 51 (4): 189-192.
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