CankerMelts is a non-prescription over-the-counter medication produced by Orahealth Corporation, located in

Bellevue, Washington Bellevue ( ) is a city in the Eastside (King County, Washington), Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, located across Lake Washington from Seattle. It is the third-largest city in the Seattle metropolitan area, and the f ...

. CankerMelts are used to treat canker sores (

aphthous ulcer Aphthous stomatitis, or recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS), commonly referred to as a canker sore or salt blister, is a common condition characterized by the repeated formation of benignity, benign and non-contagious disease, contagious mouth ...

) and other trauma-based mouth ailments. The product's active ingredient is ''

Glycyrrhiza ''Glycyrrhiza'' is a genus of about 20 accepted species in the legume family (Fabaceae), with a subcosmopolitan distribution in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the Americas. The genus is best known for liquorice (British English; licorice in Amer ...

'' extract (GX), which comes from the root of the

licorice Liquorice (Commonwealth English) or licorice (American English; see spelling differences; ) is the common name of ''Glycyrrhiza glabra'', a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring is ...

plant. GX is thought to have pain relieving, anti-inflammatory, and anti-bacterial properties. CankerMelts are time-released dissolving discs that adhere in the mouth in order to deliver a GX-

collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...

mix directly to the affected area. The disc dissolves in the mouth, slowly releasing the GX and collagen over two to six hours. Research shows that this mix may reduce the healing time of the canker sores from one to two weeks to three to five days.

Testing and research

The results of a 2006

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...

–

National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) is a branch of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The institute aims to improve the oral, dental, and craniofacial health through research and the distribution of important ...

funded study at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

showed oral patches with ''Glycyrrhiza'' extract were able to decrease ulcer size and significantly lower both passive and stimulated pain in 81 percent of the treatment group.

References

{{reflist Oral hygiene Botanical drugs