The extract, called licogen, has been found to be effective in treating hot flushes, as well as reducing the risk of osteoporosis in older women by helping to keep bones strong. Pills containing the chemical from the sweet root were found to produce "remarkable" results when taken by women going through the menopause.
Fewer hot flushes and night sweats were just some of the results of the study presented to an American fertility conference, which heard that liquorice-based supplements could provide women who cannot take osetrogen-based hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with a viable alternative.
Researchers at the University of Southern California gave a small group of 51 women 50mg of licogen daily and followed them for a year to chart their symptoms. They were compared with women given a placebo drug and another group of women given 100mg of licogen a day. The research showed no extra benefits from the 100mg over 50mg.
But women in the 50mg group saw their hot flushes drop by 80 per cent, from an average of around 10 a day to around two. These women also experienced fewer hot flushes at night - also known as night sweats - with a drop from around four a night to just two. Hot flushes begin as a sudden sensation of heat or warmth spreading across the body, often accompanied by sweating, reddening of the skin and heart palpitations.
They are commonly experienced by older women going through the menopause and are often blamed for general feelings of irritation and difficulty sleeping. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is an effective treatment for many symptoms of the menopause but it has proved controversial after research showed an increased risk of cancer and stroke. Researchers said the new findings could be significant for women looking for an alternative to HRT.
Dr Marsha Baker said the results showed a "remarkable notable treatment effect" from liquorice extracts, but added that it would be difficult for people to buy liquorice products and get the same effect.
"I think it would be hard to pinpoint anything because when you start talking about other products, there are issues around how they are prepared, how much of the actual active complement are in them," she added.
"The nice thing about our trial is that we knew exactly how much of the liquorice we had in our treatment groups, it was controlled in that way."Researcher Dr Donna Shoupe said the liquorice extract seemed to bind directly to oestrogen receptors in the body, tricking the brain into thinking it has more oestrogen.
"Women really felt it worked and made a difference," she added.