Effective licorice gargle juice for aphthous ulcer pain relief: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of licorice gargle juice on aphthous ulcers, which is a common and painful disease that causes loss of normal mucous tissues and results in inflammatory ulcers in the oral mucosa. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial involving primary care patients suffering from aphthous ulcer was performed. The intervention group received licorice gargle juice for 1 and 2 days. Of the 54 patients that participated in the study, 30 were included in the intervention group and 24 in the placebo group. A 10-point visual analog scale (VAS) was used to assess the patients' self-assessed pain levels before and after treatment. Statistical analyses were performed by using the nonparametric Mann-Whitney test. The licorice gargle juice group had a significantly reduced pain level rate compared with the placebo group at day 1 (mean VAS, 2.47 [95% CI, 1.95-2.98] vs. 4.75 [3.96-5.54]; P<0.001) and day 2 (mean VAS, 1.07 [95% CI, 0.81-1.32] vs. 4.08 [3.23-4.94]; P<0.001).The current study indicates that licorice gargle juice rapidly reduce pain and healing time and thus can improve the quality of life of a patient with aphthous ulcer.