Liquorice, it is also called licorice. The botnical name of Liquorice is Glycyrrhiza glabra. It is a sweet root, used mostly in flavouring of food, beverages and tobacco in different parts of the world. It is derived from the greek word (glukurrhiza) which means sweet root. It can also be studied as (glukus) which means “sweet” and (rhiza) means “root”. Dioscorides, one of the most popular physician, pharmacologist and botanist proposed the name. It belongs to family Fabaceae. It is most commonly found in southern Europe, India, and some parts of Asia. It is also useful for macking medicines.
Classification :
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Tribe: Galegeae
Genus: Glycyrrhiza
Species: G. glabra
It is used in different parts of the world hence there are different names also given according to the language and they are listed below.
1. liquorice in British
2. licorice in United States & Canada
3. erk-soos (عرق سوس) in Arabic
4. athimadhuram (అతిమధురం) in Telugu
5. jyeshthamadhu (ಜ್ಯೇಷ್ಠಮಧು) in Knnada
6. athimadhuram (அதிமதுரம்) in Tamil
7. irattimadhuram (ഇരട്ടിമധുരം) in Malayalam
8. yastimadhu (यष्टिमधु) in Sanskrit
9. mulethi (मुलेठी) in Hindi
10. Vel Mee (වැල් මී) in Sinhalese
11.jethimadh (જેઠીમધ) in Gujarati
12.jyeshthamadh (ज्येष्ठमध) in Marathi
It requires deep valley, well drained soils and full sun and is harvested during autumn season. It is cultivated in differenr parts of the country namely India, Iraq, Afganishtan, China, Pakistan, Trukey and many other countries as well.
Description
It is a herbaceous perennial plant of 1 m in height
Roots of the plant are stoloniferous
Root are also perennial, round, long, straight, tough and fibrous.
Having pinnate leaves of 7-15 cm i.e. 2.8–5.9 inch, with 9 – 17 leaflets
The plant also have flowers of 0.8–1.2 cm.
Flowers are purple and whitish color
Fruits are also grown and are of 2 – 3 cm.
Chemical Composition
Chemically, liquorice is composed of glycyrrhizin, it is one of the active component found in it. It also contains antioxidants such as flavonoids, saponins, coumarins, sterols, and much more. It also have amino acids like asparagine, gums, biotin, folic acid, inositol, lecithin and many others as well. It also have vitamins namely B1, B2, B3, B6 and E. They also have essential oils.
Side Effects
As it is a medicinal plant it has lots and lots of benefits, but with benefits it has number of side effects and are listed below.
It is unsafe to take Liquorice, at the time of Pregnancy and Breast Feeding for womens.
It increases blood pressure
It causes heart diseases
It cause sexual problems in men
It cause Kidney diseases
It cause hypertonia
It also causes hypokalemia
Benefits
Being a medicinal plant, it offers variety of medical benefits. The roots of the plant are the major source of medicinal importance.
Helpful to treat Cold and Cough: Roots of Liquorice are useful for treating cough, cold and irritations.
Helps to treat Skin Problems: It is very useful for treating skin rashes, eczema, itchy and dry skins.
Helps to treat Respiratory Disorders: The expectorant effect produced by Liquorice is helpful for treating asthma, cold, coughs and other breathing hassles.
Helps to Various Stomach Disorders: Th
e root extract of liquorice are used to treat number of digestive and intestinal problems. It is also useful for treating acidity and constipation. Deglycyrrhizinated liquorice (DGL) a form of liquorice is useful for treating ulcers.
Helps in Weight Loss: It is very useful in weight loss by reducing excessive fat accumulation in the body.
Useful for treating Menstrual And Premenstrual Problems: Anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, and estrogenic action of liquorice provides assistance at the time of menstrual and premenstrual symptoms. It is always useful at the time of mood swings, breast tenderness, menstrual cramps, nausea and bloating.
Increases the oral health: The antimicrobial and antibacterial property shown by liquorice is useful for preventing the growth of cavity causing bacteria. It is also helpful in reducing plague, bad breath and keeps your teeth and gum healthy.
It shows Antiviral and Antibacterial Property
It shows Anti Inflammantory Property
Misclleanous health benefits: It shows benefit againts arthiritcs, allergic disorders, chronic fatigue and much more.
