Licorice |
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| Common Name | Licorice |
| Scientific Name | Glycyrrhiza glabra |
| Other names for this plant are Licorice Root, Black Sugar, Sweet Licorice, and Sweet Wood. The botanical name comes from the Greek glukus ("sweet") and rhiza ("root"). It is said that chewing on licorice root instead of candy has helped many people to stop smoking without gaining weight; licorice contains no sugar. Babies have been given a hard (but not fibrous) piece of washed root to help them cut teeth. Licorice is found on dry, stony land; it grows wild in southern and central Europe and parts of Asia. Spain is the principal exporter of stick licorice. In Arabia, finely powdered root is used to dry up discharging parts of the skin, to dry blisters, and to absorb all kinds of watery fluids. Licorice tea is also a favoured remedy for bronchial and stomach problems -coughs, mucous congestion, and peptic ulcers-as well as for bladder and kidney ailments. | |
| Plant | Perennial. The 3- to 4-inch flexible and fibrous taproot is wrinkled and brown on the outside, and bright yellow inside, with reddish filament roots. The stem bears alternate leaves with three to seven pairs of dark green leaflets. Yellowish or purplish flowers appear from June to August. |
| Height | 1 to 3 feet. |
| Soil | Deep, crumbly, well-cultivated. It must be stone-free so the taproots can grow straight, even though licorice likes to grow in stony areas. |
| Exposure | Direct sun. |
| Propagation | By stem or root cuttings. The root pieces, 3 or 4 inches in length including buds, are red filament roots taken from the plant in March or April. |
| Care | Cut shoots or canes to soil level each year in November. By the third autumn, the main root will be mature and can be harvested. |
| Part used for Tea | Root. |
| Taste | Sweet, anise-like. Thirst-quenching. |
| How to Brew | By INFUSION OR DECOCTION: Use 1 teaspoon crushed or powdered rootstock to 1 cup of boiling water. Steep, or simmer to taste. Serve hot or cold. Added to other herbal teas, licorice will sweeten the brew naturally. |
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