Photo: Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Licorice

Glycyrrhiza glabra

Also known as Licorice root, Sweet root, Sweetwood, Liquorice, Yasti-madhu

At a glance

Family

Fabaceae (the legume, or pea, family)

Type

Herbaceous perennial legume

Parts used

Root and rhizome (dried, peeled or unpeeled)

Size

3 to 5 feet tall, with a deep taproot that can run several feet down

Bloom

Late spring to midsummer, pale purple to violet-blue pea-like flowers

Habitat

Sunny riverbanks, dry fields, and light, well-drained soils across the Mediterranean, southern Europe, and parts of Asia

Acquisition

Grow or buy

Traditional remedies in HerbSense

Key benefits

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Soothes throat and cough

Calms digestive upset

Traditionally supports adrenal balance

Adds natural sweetness

Traditional uses

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Licorice root has been chewed, brewed, and stirred into remedies for thousands of years, turning up in ancient Egyptian tombs, Chinese medicine chests, and the satchels of Ayurvedic healers alike. It was traditionally reached for to soothe an irritated throat, ease a lingering cough, and calm a fussy stomach, its natural sweetness making it as welcome in a remedy as it was in candy tins. In traditional Chinese medicine it earned the nickname the great harmonizer, prized for its ability to balance and moderate other herbs in a formula. Licorice sticks were also simply chewed as a sweet treat long before refined sugar was common, a habit that has never quite gone out of style.

How to grow & use it

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The full apothecary for Licorice

Traditional remedies and step-by-step preparations, a complete growing guide, and how to harvest, dry, and store it, all unlocked with HerbLens Unlimited.

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✦ Growing guide
✦Harvest & storage

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Pairs well with

✦Ginger
✦Marshmallow root
✦Chamomile

Substitutes

✦Marshmallow root (for soothing, demulcent qualities without the sweetness)
✦Astragalus (in traditional Chinese formulas, for a milder harmonizing herb)

Choose it when

“For the herb that has soothed throats and sweetened remedies since the time of pharaohs.”

Did you know?

The compound that gives licorice root its intense sweetness, glycyrrhizin, is roughly 50 times sweeter than table sugar by weight, which is exactly why the root was historically chewed on its own as a treat.

Safety

Licorice root deserves real caution: its glycyrrhizin can raise blood pressure and deplete potassium with regular use, and it should be avoided with high blood pressure, heart or kidney disease, low potassium, or pregnancy. It can interact with blood pressure medications, diuretics, corticosteroids, and digoxin, so don't combine them without medical guidance. Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), with this compound removed, is the safer choice for regular use.