In this country, and in the research done in Japan, Germany and other countries, the IV form used is Glycyrrhizin a.k.a. glycyrrhizic or glycyrrhizinic acid (GA). Technically one molecule of glycyrrhizic acid is hydrolyzed into two molecules of glucuronic acid and one molecule of glycyrrhetinic acid. So typically, we infuse the glycyrrhizin and the glycyrrhetinic acid is made in the body. (I recently had to update my monograph to share with the FDA and the maddeningly similar names had to be spelled correctly…). GA has certain administration doses and patient parameters to monitor, as well as synergistic IVs able to be used in sequence, so one simple protocol does not exist. In Hep C (and possibly HIV) there is good data for a role of higher dose GA in its parenteral form and I have used it as such. In Hepatocellular Carcinoma it would depend on many things. I can say we have used it in HEP viri with success in calming inflammation, and it has research (similar to curcumin) showing help in many inflammatory situations as well as potentially cancer. It is one of the subjects of my current natural medicines as biologic response modifier research.
