Licorice (or
liquorice) is the root of the licorice plant from which the characteristically
sweet licorice flavour is extracted. The extract contains the very sweet
substance glycyrhizzin, as well as sugars.
General
uses
The root or the
extract is used as a source of licorice flavour. The liquor from the extract is
often processed into a powder or a more concentrated solid block.
The licorice
root/extract is widely used in the food industry as a sweetening agent, or
flavouring ingredient in drinks, candy and gum. Due to its medicinal properties
it is also used in both traditional and herbal medicines e.g. in the
pharmaceutical industry licorice is used in over-the-counter drugs and cough
syrups.
Reported
tobacco industry uses
Tobacco
manufacturers reportedly use licorice at different stages of manufacturing to
add flavour to the tobacco and to sweeten the smoke. Licorice gives a mellow,
sweet and woody note to the smoke.
The amount of
licorice added to the cigarette can make up to 4% of the total weight of the
tobacco used in one cigarette. Licorice is also used as a flavour for other
tobacco products such as cigars, and chewing tobacco.
Harmful
health effects
Licorice is
generally regarded as safe for use in food and cosmetics. However, this does not
suggest it is safe when inhaled from smoking cigarettes. When licorice extracts
are burnt they produce several toxic compounds including some that are well
known to cause cancer in humans (e.g. benzene), or those that could possibly
cause cancer (e.g. acetaldehyde). Other toxic substances produced include the
chemicals toluene and phenol that could cause other damaging health
effects.
The sugars in the
extract can also produce acidic compounds, which make it harder for the nicotine
in the cigarette smoke to reach the brain. This forces smokers to inhale deeper
and to also consume more cigarettes to get their nicotine fix. Furthermore, the
use of licorice may be indirectly harmful due to the formation of compounds
called aldehydes (e.g. acetaldehyde), which can make cigarettes more addictive
by enhancing the addictive potential of nicotine. Aldehydes are very reactive
and produce other compounds such as the substance harman, which can also make
cigarettes more addictive due to its mood-enhancing effect on the brain.
The addition of
licorice extract makes the smoking experience more pleasurable in several ways,
i.e. it helps the tobacco to stay moist, balances the overall flavour of the
cigarette, and reduces dryness in the mouth and
throat.
Furthermore, the caramel flavours produced when
the sugars in the licorice extract are burnt help enhance the flavour and
attractiveness of smoking. Also, the glycyrhizzin that is present could
potentially to open up the airways, and in combination with other ingredients
could allow smokers to inhale deeper, making it easier for them to get their
nicotine fix.
Therefore, by adding
more desirable flavours such as licorice to cigarettes, tobacco manufacturers
succeed in making smoking more pleasurable. This, not only encourages the
smoking habit, but also makes it easier for smokers to become addicted, which
ultimately causes them to be exposed to higher levels of the toxic substances in
cigarette smoke.
This text of the
factsheet on the tobacco additive Licorice was written by the German Cancer
Research Centre (DKFZ). You can find the original in English on the RIVM website
http://www.dkfz.de/de/tabakkontrolle
This initiative has
received funding from the European Union in the framework of the Health
Programme.