Licorice Root

Botanical Name - Glycyrrhiza glabra


Category - Medicinal


Form - Dry


Part Used - Root


General Information - Glycyrrhiza is derived from the ancient Greek term glykos, meaning sweet, and rhiza, meaning root. Glycyrrhiza glabra is known as mulaithi in north India. Glycyrrhiza glabra, also known as licorice and sweet wood, is native to the Mediterranean and certain areas of Asia. A number of traditional healers have claimed the efficacy of Glycyrrhiza species for a variety of pathological conditions as a diuretic, choleretic, used as insecticide, and indicated in traditional medicine for coughs, colds, and painful swellings . The roots are unearthed in the autumn of the fourth season. It is grown in India, Spain, Iran, Russia, China and Italy.


Phytochemicals - A number of components have been isolated from the roots of Glycyrrhiza glabra, including a water-soluble, biologically active complex that accounts for 40-50% of total dry material weight. This complex is composed of triterpene, saponin, flavonoids, polysaccharides, pectins, simple sugars, amino acids, mineral salts, asparagines, bitters, essential oil, fat, female hormone estrogen, gums, mucilage (rhizome), protein, resins, starches, sterols, volatile oils, tannins, glycosides, and various other substances. Glycyrrhizin, a triterpenoid compound, accounts for the sweet taste of licorice root. This compound represents a mixture of potassium-calcium-magnesium salts of glycyrrhizic acid that varies within a 2-25% range. Among the natural saponin, glycyrrhizic acid is a molecule composed of a hydrophilic part, two molecules of glucuronic acid, and a hydrophobic fragment, glycyrrhetic acid. The yellow color of licorice is due to the flavonoid content of the plant, which includes liquiritin, isoliquiritin (a chalcone) and other compounds. The isoflavones, glabridin and hispaglabridins A and B have significant antioxidant activity and both glabridin and glabrene possess estrogen-like activity.