In addition to having anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, and anticancer properties, glycyrrhizic acid found in liquorice has the highest concentration of triterpenoid saponins.
A study performedby Juang and colleagues at the Tongji University School of Medicine in Shanghai examined the mechanisms behind glycyrrhizic acid's preventive effect against cognitive deterioration in middle-aged rats. The study showed that glycyrrhizic acid enhanced mice's learning and memory functions, and that it might boost immune system cells. The researchers concluded that glycyrrhizic acid enhances cognitive function through controlling the proliferation of T and B immune cells.
Jiang R, Gao J, Shen J, Zhu X, Wang H, Feng S, Huang C, Shen H, Liu H. Glycyrrhizic Acid Improves Cognitive Levels of Aging Mice by Regulating T/B Cell Proliferation. Front Aging Neurosci. 2020 Oct 7;12:570116. doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2020.570116. PMID: 33132898; PMCID: PMC7575738.