The Difference Between Lingcao and Licorice and How to Tell Them Apart
Most people surely know licorice. It is a tonic Chinese herbal medicine, and its dried root and rhizome can be used as medicine. It has the effects of tonifying the spleen and boosting qi, clearing heat and detoxifying, resolving phlegm and relieving cough, easing acute pain, and harmonizing various medicines. So, what is the difference between Lingcao and licorice?
1. The difference between Lingcao and licorice
Lingcao and licorice are the same herb. Licorice is also called sweet grass, named for its sweet taste, and since ancient times it has had the fine name “Lingcao.” It is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Glycyrrhiza in the Fabaceae family, 30-120 cm tall, with thick roots and rhizomes, brown outer bark and pale yellow inside; the stem is much branched, the stipules are triangular-lanceolate, the leaflets are ovate, oblong-ovate, or nearly round, the corolla is purple, white, or yellow, and the pod is curved and sickle-shaped or ring-shaped.
2. How much is licorice per jin?
The price of licorice is between 8-20 yuan/kg, and the specific price is subject to the local market price. According to information provided by Kangmei Chinese Medicine Network, the price of licorice on October 15, 2019 was:
Licorice (maotiao, Inner Mongolia): Bozhou market 11 yuan/kg; Anguo market, Chengdu market, Yulin market, Lianqiao market, and Puning market all 10 yuan/kg.
Licorice (maotiao, Xinjiang): Bozhou market, Yulin market, Lianqiao market, and Puning market all 9 yuan/kg, Anguo market 8 yuan/kg, Chengdu market 8.5 yuan/kg.
Licorice (maotiao, Gansu): Bozhou market 9 yuan/kg, Yulin market 10 yuan/kg, Lianqiao market 8 yuan/kg.
Licorice (tong, Inner Mongolia): Bozhou market, Chengdu market, Yulin market, Lianqiao market, and Puning market all 20 yuan/kg, Anguo market 19 yuan/kg.
Licorice (tong, Xinjiang): Bozhou market 16 yuan/kg, Anguo market, Lianqiao market, and Puning market 15 yuan/kg, Chengdu market 15.5 yuan/kg, Yulin market 14.5 yuan/kg.
Licorice (tong, Gansu): Bozhou market and Puning market 11 yuan/kg, Yulin market and Lianqiao market 12 yuan/kg.