Someone wrote in June:
<http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/19991006/sc/health_licorice_2.html>
says
> I'm tired of being dominated by my hormones. I waste vast amounts of
> time and energy thinking about and having sex, and I'm constantly
> being distracted by sexual thoughts. Sometimes I think it would be
> better--now that I've sired all the children I plan to--to just get
> out of the sex game altogether. (I'm 39, married, three children.)
> Castration would be a little extreme (permanent) and I don't know
> exactly what the effects would be. I'm sure there are drugs that can
> help, but I don't know how effective they are, how safe they are for
> long-term use, or even what they're called or how to get them.
>
> Is there any practical relief for this problem available today?
Three Italian doctors warn in a letter published in Thursday's
New England Journal of Medicine that glycyrrhizic acid, the
active ingredient in licorice, suppressed sex hormone levels in
seven men in their 20s.
Just 7 grams of licorice a day over four days was enough to
reduce the amount of testosterone by an average of 44 percent.
Hormone levels returned to normal after four days of abstinence,
said the team led by Dr. Decio Armanini of the University of
Padua.
[...]
``The amounts of licorice given to these men are eaten by many
people,'' they said. ``Thus, men with decreased libido or other
sexual dysfunction ... should be questioned about licorice
ingestion.''
The complete letter with references is available at <http://www.nejm.org/content/1999/0341/0015/1158.asp>.
Many other benefits and very few contraindications are claimed for
licorice. See, for example
<http://www.alternative-medicines.com/herbdesc2/1licoric.htm>. (I
can't vouch for the credibility of this site -- anyone have a favorite
guide to herbal medicines on the net?)
-- See From: and Organization: above. Call +1 415 553 6408 for assistance.