Licorice root has a history of use spanning from Greece to China as a  medicine to soothe stomach usets, to reduce inflammation, and to treat upper-respiratory problems. The extract has also been used topically to treat dermatitis, eczema, pruritus, cysts, and skin irritation. Numerous modern scientific studies have evaluated the bioactivities of molecules from licorice root, particularly the flavonoid  saponin glycyrrhizinic acid and its aglyclone glycyrrhetinic acid, which were found to have anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antibacterial, anticancer properties and numbererous other bioactivities of therapeutic interest.