甘草及其活性成分對實驗動物生殖系統(tǒng)有影響，甘草酸及其甘草黃酮類化合物是甘草呈現(xiàn)該藥理作用的活性成分。甘草酸通過抑制睪酮生物合成和促進睪酮代謝，降低血睪酮水平，還能抗生殖器官炎癥和腫瘤；但其又能抑制磺基轉(zhuǎn)移酶2A1活性和提高5α-甾體還原酶活性，導(dǎo)致臨床上應(yīng)用甘草和甘草酸不一定會產(chǎn)生血睪酮水平下降。甘草黃酮類化合物屬植物雌激素，在機體缺乏雌激素時表現(xiàn)出雌激素樣作用；當機體雌激素水平過高時表現(xiàn)為拮抗雌激素作用，是甘草治療痛經(jīng)和生殖器官腫瘤的主要活性成分。

To study the effect of glycyrrhizinic acid and licorice flavonoids on the genital system in animal, which are the active components from Glycyrrhizae Radix with the genital pharmacologic effects on anti-inflammation and antitumor in genital organs. Glycyrrhizinic acid could reduce serum testosterone level by inhibiting the biosynthesis and promoting the metabolism of testosterone, and has the effect of anti-inflammation and antitumor in genital organs. The effect of glycyrrhizinic acid on decreasing SULT 2A1 activity while increasing steroid-5α-reductase activity, induces Glycyrrhizae Radix and glycyyrhizinic acid to be no sure to exhibit the reduction of serum testosterone level in clinic. Licorice flavonoids belong to phyto-estrogen. When the body is short of estrogen, licorice flavonoids exhibit estrogen-like effects. When the body is overfull of estrogen, licorice flavonoids exhibit antagonism to estrogen. Licorice flavonoids are major active components of Glycyrrhizae Radix for the treatments of genital organs carcinoma and dysmenorrheal.