Effect of Licorice and Green Tea Gargle on Post-Extubation Sore Throat, Cough, and Hoarseness: A Triple-blind Clinical Trial

Abstract

Background Endotracheal extubation is associated with a high prevalence of complications such as sore throat, cough, and hoarseness. This study aimed to compare the effect of green tea and licorice gargle on sore throat, cough, and hoarseness after endotracheal extubation. Method: The study was designed as a randomized, triple-blind, controlled clinical trial. 102 patients who were candidates for elective surgery in two specialized hospitals in Tehran, Iran in 2020–2021, were randomly divided into licorice, green tea, and control (placebo) groups. The scores of sore throat, cough, and hoarseness of patients were assessed one hour after endotracheal extubation. After the gag reflex returned, patients were given 100 cc of the prepared solutions to gargle for 30 seconds. The intervention was repeated two hours later. The scores of sore throat, cough, and hoarseness were assessed in the three groups, immediately after the first intervention and two hours after the second intervention. Result There was a significant difference between three groups, in posttest1 and posttest 2 in terms of three variables (P < 0.0001). In addition, both licorice and green tea interventions had a high effect size on the decrease of the studied variables and there was no significant difference between these solutions (P < 0.0167). Conclusion Both green tea and licorice solutions greatly reduced post-extubation complications. These results can be clinical evidence for the use of these two plants to prevent complications of endotracheal extubation. Trial registration: This study was registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT) with the code “IRCT20190729044373N1” on 2019-12-27.