Licorice as an Herb

(Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Hundreds of tons of Liqorice are imported annually for commercial and medicinal purposes from Spain, Russia, Germany, France and the East, with most of our supply coming from Spain and Italy.

The use of the Liqorice plant was first discovered by the Greeks from the Scythians. The Roman naturalist Theophrastus (c. 372c. 287 B.C.) wrote that the roots were used for asthma, dry cough, and lung disorders.

Licorice Extract appears to have been in common use in Germany during the Middle Ages. In 1264, Liqorice (apparently the extract, not the root) is charged in the Wardrobe Accounts of Henry IV. It is included in a list of drugs of the City of Frankfurt, written about the year 1450.

European licorice is the root of a member of the pea family native to Eurasia. Twenty species of Glycyrrhiza are found in Eurasia, North and South America, and Australia. At least six Chinese species are used as Chinese licorice (gan-cao or sweet herb), primarily G. uralensis. Licorice is cultivated commercially in Europe and Asia.

Licorice is one of the better studied herbs. What we think of as "licorice" flavor is actually anise; licorice itself tastes very sweet and musty.

Medicinal Uses for Liqorice

The Liqorice plant is described as being cultivated in Italy by Piero de Cresenzi of Bologna, who lived in the thirteenth century.

As a medicine, the drug was well known in Germany in the eleventh century, and an extensive cultivation of the plant was carried on in Bavaria in the sixteenth century. The extract is still termed 'Spanish Juice' because Spain formerly yielded most of its supply.

Today, German government allows licorice preparations to be used for the supportive treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers and for congestion of the upper respiratory tract.

Liqorice is a popular and well-known remedy for coughs, consumption and chest complaints - notably bronchitis, and is an ingredient in almost all popular cough medicines on account of its valuable soothing properties. Its cough-suppressant activity resembles that of codeine.

Traditionally, the dried root has also been used for sore throat and laryngitis as well as inflammation of the urinary and intestinal tracts.

Koflet is an all-natural formula that helps soothe bronchial mucous membranes and sore throats. It also supports the body's normal immune function against common allergens.

The sugar of Liqorice may safely be taken by diabetic patients.

Block Liqorice is employed in the manufacture of tobacco for smoking and chewing.

Culinary

Liqorice is largely used by brewers, being added to porter and stout to give thickness and blackness.

Stick Liqorice is commonly impure, either from carelessness in its preparation, or from the fraudulent addition of other substances, such as starch, sand, carbonaceous matter, etc. Small particles of copper are also sometimes found in it.

Liqorice juice, known as Liqorice Paste, is largely imported from Spain and Asia Minor, but on account of a certain bitterness is unsuited for its use as a sweetmeat or in medicine, and is principally used in the preparation of tobacco for chewing and smoking.

Caution

Individuals with heart disease, liver disease or hypertension should avoid licorice and it should not be used during pregnancy. If diuretics or heart medications containing digitalis have been prescribed, licorice should be avoided.

Licorice may cause some individuals to experience water retention and hypertension due to sodium retention and potassium loss. Do not exceed recommended dose.

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DISCLAIMER: These pages are presented solely as a source of INFORMATION and ENTERTAINMENT and to provide stern warnings against use where appropriate. No claims are made for any historical herbal treatment. In no way can the information provided here take the place of the standard, legal, medical practice of any country. Some plants are extremely toxic and should be used only by licensed professionals. Some plants used for illness in the past have proven to be ineffective for the problems to which they were applied.