Ancient Remedy Trumps Modern Solutions for Anesthesia-Related Sore Throat

Licorice root has been used for thousands of years to treat a variety of complaints, including stomach ulcers and upper-respiratory problems. Now, a small study suggests that this ancient remedy can be put to good use in a very modern setting — to ease post-operative sore throat, a common and painful complication of anesthesia with intubation. In India, researchers tested the use of a licorice gargle on 40 patients undergoing spinal surgery. Half the patients gargled with the licorice solution five minutes before anesthesia was administered via an airway tube. The other half gargled with plain water. Only four out of 20 patients who had prepped with the licorice gargle reported a sore throat after surgery, compared with 15 from the group that gargled with water. Also, those in the licorice group who did have a sore throat had less severe symptoms than those in the control group. The findings were reported in Anesthesia & Analgesia.

Anesthesia and Sore Throat

The breathing tube used during procedures that require general anesthesia causes post-operative sore throat, says David Rosen, MD, associate professor in the department of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Doctors have tried to sidestep this problem by using smaller or lubricated endotracheal tubes, as well as with pharmacological measures, such as an aspirin gargle or heavy-duty pain relievers. These techniques produced mixed results. “Post-operative pain is difficult to manage, and patients don’t want to be on huge doses of narcotics,” says Dr. Rosen. Enter, licorice…

Why Licorice Works

The gargle solution used in the study was prepared by boiling licorice powder, ground from the licorice plant’s roots, in water. Licorice was chosen because of its anti-irritant and anti-inflammatory properties. Making the solution especially easy to swallow is its naturally sweet taste, which patients in the study didn’t find unpleasant.

Since licorice gargle reduces inflammation, it is likely that it also can relieve the sore throat from a cold or other benign cause. And indeed, licorice is a common ingredient in herbal teas used for cold remedy and throat lozenges.

“This is a solution patients will like,” says Dr. Rosen. “Most prefer herbal or homeopathic methods, so people are excited when they can take something that’s not a drug.”