Licorice - An Ancient And Popular Herb
Licorice has been an ingredient in many sweet treats, beverages and pickles over the centuries. It is said that Queen Elizabeth the Great was so fond of licorice that she allowed a licorice tree to be planted at her court house. She surrounded it with a golden crown and it has remained there ever since. Licorice, like many of today's ingredients, has a number of potential health benefits. Here's what you need to know about this potent little treat.
Licorice, sometimes called "sugar berry" by those who know its sweet taste, is a vine-like perennial herb. It prefers damp earth and often grows in urban settings. Licorice comes in several varieties and comes in a variety of colors. The most commonly used licorice is glycyrrhizin (also known as glycyrrhizic acid) which gives licorice its characteristic sweet smell and flavor. Other varieties of licorice are said to have a nutty, licorice like flavor, whereas others may have a bitter taste. Some licorice varieties may even cause bad breath problems for some people.
Licorice has been used as an antiseptic, expectorant, stomachic, digestive aid, anti-inflammatory, and as a diuretic in Chinese medicine. In the United States, licorice has not gained popularity in the same way that other herbs have. Still, it has been used in the United States for more than a hundred years as a sweet treat and licorice tea. One of the first documented uses of licorice in a commercial product came from China, where it was used as an anti-inflammatory, to treat wounds, and to help treat stomach ulcers.
Licorice has many of the same sweet taste and odor of sugar, but it has only about ten calories per serving. Licorice also has no diuretic properties, and because it is a natural sweet it does not cause thirst. As it is naturally sweet, it acts much like a candy cane and will quickly dissolve when you put something cold into it. The diuretic qualities of licorice can be an aid to treat sore throats or to help clear up any nasal congestion, but licorice does not have any diuretic properties when it is ingested.
Although licorice has a number of uses in traditional medicine, modern pharmaceutical companies have not commercialized the use of licorice. Because of this licorice remains largely a wild plant. It is used extensively by herbalists in combination with other ingredients to treat a wide range of conditions including sore throats, asthma, colitis, constipation, nausea, vomiting, anxiety, arthritis, and bronchitis.
Licorice root can be chewed, crushed, or dissolved in a glass of water. It can also be added to tea, or consumed in its entire pill, for a sweet tasting tea. Licorice should never be ingested in large amounts due to the potential for internal damage. If swallowed whole, some may experience intestinal discomfort.
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