Liquorice or Glycyrrhiza glabra is actually a white and purple flowering plant which is commonly found in southwest and central Asia and Mediterranean region. This plant is well known for its sweet taproot which grows about four feet deep. This plant grows best under full sun and needs limited shade with moist and rich soil. This pant may grow up to 3 to 17 feet in height.
The branches of this plant are upright and this plant has round stems which take a angular shape when reach to the top. The leaves of this plant are odd, pinnate, and alternate and are divided in about eight pairs of diamond shaped leaflets.
The plant of Liquorice flourishes in summer season. This plant has sweet pea alike flowers which grow in bunches. These flowers are small with long peduncles and are purple-bluish in color. The fruit grown on this plant is compressed, smooth, single cell legume and has four seeds similar to kidney shape.
The plant root is round, straight, fibrous, tough, long and perennial. The inner part has yellowish color and outer part has grayish color. It has a sweet taste and has the most wanted assets in its cortical. This plant can be majory found in Indian regions like sub- Himalayan regions and Punjab.
This herb is also given a name, glukos riza by the Hippocrates. This term means ‘sweet root’ due to the sweet taste of its root. This plant is used as herbal medicine. Liquorice is derived from the Latin word liquiritia which means sweet wood. In Sanskrit, this is called as yashti which means stem.
This plant is not only used as a medicine but also as a spice. But most of the times it is preferred as medicine than as spice. In ancient times, this herb was most commonly in use among Egyptians for the diseases related to the upper regions of respiratory system. Root of this plant is used as the medicine for curing diseases.
The root of this plant is highly recommended by Ayurveda for curing cold, cough, and other bronchial related problems. This herb was very common in use during the period of Charaka. This herb was used by singers’ pill to cure the soreness or harshness of the throat.
The root contains around 4% of glycyrrhizin which is 50 times sweeter in comparison to cane sugar which makes the root sweet.
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