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HERB ALLEY
Licorice Root
(Glycyrrhiza Glabra)
COMMON NAMES: Licorice
root, sweet licorice, sweet wood.
MEDICINAL PART: Rootstock.
DESCRIPTION: Licorice
is a perennial plant found wild in southern and central Europe and parts
of Asis, and cultivated elsewhere. The woody rootstock is wrinkled
and brown on the outside, yellow on the inside, and tastes sweet.
The stem, which is round on the lower part and angular higher up, bears
alternate, odd-pinnate leaces with 3 to 7 pairs of ovate, dark green leaflets.
Axillary racemes of yellowish or purplish flowers appear from June to August,
depending on location.
PROPERTIES AND USES:
Demulcent, diuretic, expectorant, laxative. Licorice is primarily
used in medicine for bronchial problems, coughs, hoarseness, mucous congestion,
stc. It can also be taken for stomach problems, such as peptic ulcers,
and for bladder and kidney ailments. A strong decoction makes a good
laxative for children and may also help to reduce fever. Add licorice
to other medicines to make them more palatable.
Another of the famed
“respiratoty herbs, Licorice’s soothing and expectorant properties make
it excellent for treatment of many types of bronchial congestion.
It is excellent for sore throats and because of its sweet flavor is used
to sweeten many other formulas.
The tea I used for laryngitis
and will restore the voice. It is also good for a mild laxative for
babies. Licorice helps expel mucous from the respiratory tract.
It contains estroil, an estrogen. It contains nutritive and laxative
properties. Licorice depresses the pituitary. It is 50 times
sweeter than sucrose and can be used to disguise the taste of bitter herbs.
It is ine if the most active herbs. Caution: Taken over a long
period of time, or in large doses, it can cause sodium and water retention
which elevates the blood pressure and may cause pains tn the heart.
Listen to your body.
PREPERATION AND DOSAGE:
Infusion or Decoction:
Use 1 tsp. rootstock with 1 cup water. Take 1 cup a day.
The Herb Book by
John Lust
The Science and Art of Herbology
by Rosemary Gladstar.
Herbally Yours by
Penny C. Royal
