Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch, also known as beet, honey grass and American grass. It is a leguminous plant, which grows in calcareous soil on sunny and dry grassland and sandy soil on the river bank. The main producing areas are distributed in the northeast, northwest and north China of China, and are also produced in Siberia and Urals. The quality of licorice produced in Hangjinqi, Yikezhaomeng, Inner Mongolia, China is the best. Physicians in ancient and modern China have always been good at using licorice in clinical practice for thousands of years. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch is sweet and flat, and enters the liver, spleen and lung meridians. It can harmonize all kinds of medicines, mainly treat cold and heat pathogens in the internal organs, five tuberculosis and seven injuries, moisten the lungs and detoxify, and mediate the urgency. Licorice has a wide range of functions, mainly including anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anticonvulsant, anti-tumor, analgesic and diuretic effects.

According to the laboratory analysis, there are 18 kinds of licorice made in China, among which glycyrrhizin accounts for 3.63% to13.06%. In addition, it also contains water soluble substances, reducing sugar, starch, gum and other ingredients. Among these ingredients, glycyrrhizin is the effective ingredient for AIDS. Glycyrrhizin for the treatment of AIDS is extracted from licorice. Now Japan is importing a large number of licorice raw materials from Afghanistan, Iran and other places to extract glycyrrhizin.

According to the test tube experiment, in the cells infected with HIV, 0.25 mg glycyrrhizin per ml can still survive; However, almost all virus-carrying cells without glycyrrhizin died.

The effect of clinical experiments has also been confirmed. Glycyrrhizin was administered to 7 AIDS patients hospitalized in 4 hospitals in Tokyo, and 6 patients achieved remarkable results: the immune activity was enhanced, the immune function was restored, and the condition was improving.

Glycyrrhizin has the advantages of easy extraction, simple process and low drug price. Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch has low toxicity and little side effects. If you take it in large quantities for a long time, about 20% may have symptoms such as edema, weakness of limbs, dizziness and elevated blood pressure. These side effects can be avoided if used in moderation.