Antiviral Properties of Various Bioactive Components Present in the Root of Glycyrrhiza glabra: Review

The plant Glycyrrhiza glabra species (liquorice or licorice), a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, is of utmost importance as it contains glycyrrhizin, an important antiviral compound along with other significant phytoconstituents like glycyrrhetinic acid, glabrin A&B, triterpene sterols, isoflavones, and many more. Glycyrrhiza glabra has been recognized for its ethnopharmacological values since time immemorial, as it exhibits various pharmacological activities. The crux of this review focuses on the antiviral activity of liquorice against several viruses that pose a severe threat to humankind like herpes simplex virus (HSV), Hepatitis C virus (HCV), H5N1 virus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), H3N2 virus, influenza, and influenza A virus, pseudorabies virus (PrV), etc. Overall, This review article explains the compilation of data obtained from Scopus indexed journal articles over 5 years ranging from 2015 to 2020, which not only aims to shed light on the application of Glycyrrhiza glabra against human viruses but also on how to develop these responses further to improve the efficacy. Further, the review also focuses on Glycyrrhiza glabra for its potential commercial uses, such as treating the porcine virus in pigs and piglets, which is verified.