The medicinal use of licorice in both Western and Eastern cultures dates back several thousand years. Licorice is a powerful adrenal stimulant and thus especially useful for counteracting stress and supplying energy and endurance to weakened constitutions. It also contains certain estrogenic substances, which may account for its value as an aphrodisiac and sexual stimulant. Licorice has a long tradition of use in relieving bronchitis, sore throat, and coughing - its unique glycosides chemically purge excess fluid from the lungs and throat and eliminate them from the body through the urinary tract. In addition to its medicinal properties, it is also used as a sweetener, containing the glucoside glycyrrhizin, which is fifty times sweeter than sugar, but, unlike sugar, helps balance blood sugar levels and thereby reduce the craving for sweets.