Licorice Gargle for Sore Throat After Surgery

Ayurvedic (yashtimadhu) and Chinese use of licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) for cough and throat irritation

Evidence: Low–moderate — RCT (n=40) with replications; one 2024 trial found no benefit for a different indication

Illustration: Dried licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Illustration: Split licorice root sections

What it is and what it is used for

A gargle of licorice root dissolved in water, used to prevent the sore throat caused by breathing tubes during surgery. In a 2009 trial (n=40), patients who gargled licorice five minutes before anesthesia had far less throat pain — 25% versus 75% sore at two hours — and less post-extubation cough. Later trials replicated the effect.

Safety and disclaimers

Recipe

Ingredients:

Preparation:

  1. Dissolve or steep the licorice root in the water.
  2. Gargle vigorously for 30 seconds and spit.

Dosage / directions: In trials, a single gargle about 5 minutes before anesthesia. For ordinary sore throats, gargle 2–3 times daily and spit.

Folk history

Licorice root is one of the great harmonizers of traditional medicine — Ayurveda calls it yashtimadhu ('sweet stick') and uses it to soothe the throat and blend formulas, while Chinese medicine has prescribed gan cao for cough for two thousand years. Anesthesiologists stumbled onto the gargle while looking for anything that would spare patients the raw throat of the breathing tube.

Scientific references