Licorice Reduces Postop Sore ThroatLicorice Reduces Postop Sore Throat

SAN FRANCISCOGargling with a licorice solution before surgery can help reduce postoperative sore throata common and painful complication of anesthesia in patients undergoing surgery, reports a study in the July issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
The study included 40 patients undergoing spinal surgery. Five minutes before induction of general anesthesia with an airway (endotracheal) tube, the patients gargled with a diluted licorice solution or plain water.
Patients receiving the licorice gargle had a lower rate of postoperative sore throat, including pain on swallowing. Two hours after surgery, about 25 percent of patients who used the licorice gargle had a sore throat, compared to 75 percent of those who gargled with water. Postoperative sore throat was also less severe in the licorice group.
In addition, patients who used the licorice gargle were less likely to develop postoperative cough: 10 percent, compared to 30 percent of patients who gargled with water. There were no side effects of the licorice gargle.