Where is licorice distributed? Latest summary

Licorice, also known as Guolao, sweet grass, Ural licorice, and sweet root, is mainly distributed in China and the Siberia region of Russia. It prefers shady and humid conditions and a dry climate with long sunshine and low temperatures, and mostly grows in arid and semi-arid desert steppes, desert margins, and loess hill areas. Let us take a look at the origin and distribution of licorice below!

Origin and distribution of licorice

1. Domestic origins: Licorice is mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, and Shuozhou in Shanxi, mostly as wild plants. Cultivated licorice is mainly produced in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, the Hexi Corridor in Gansu, the surrounding area of Longxi, and some areas of Ningxia.

2. Foreign origins: It is distributed in Asia, Europe, Australia, the Americas, and other places, and most have traditional medicinal and other uses.

Origin environment of licorice

Licorice mostly grows in arid and semi-arid sandy soil, desert margins, and loess hill areas, and also reproduces easily in fields and river beach land in the Yellow River irrigation districts. It has strong adaptability and strong stress resistance.

Licorice prefers an ecological environment with sufficient sunlight, relatively low rainfall, hot summers, severe cold winters, and large temperature differences between day and night. It has the characteristics of liking light, tolerating drought, heat, salinity and alkalinity, and cold, and is suitable for growing in sandy soil with deep soil layers, loose texture, and good drainage.

How to distinguish good and poor licorice

Inspections of the traditional Chinese medicine market have found that licorice on the market has problems such as sulfur fumigation, bacteria, and excessive heavy metals, failing to meet medicinal requirements, and even counterfeit products appear, sold under the guise of licorice. The key points for identifying licorice are the following four.

1. Root cylindrical, reddish brown or grayish brown.

2. With longitudinal furrows, wrinkles, and lenticels.

3. Texture solid, cross-section yellow-white, cambium ring lines obvious.

4. Slight odor, with a special sweet taste.

The similar product Glycyrrhiza glabra, however, has fine and inconspicuous lenticels, a solid texture, fewer cracks in the cross-section, and a sweet taste. Glycyrrhiza inflata has thick roots and rhizomes, grayish brown or brown color, hard texture, little powdery quality, and a sweet or slightly bitter taste. As for Glycyrrhiza eurycarpa and Glycyrrhiza aspera, their roots are relatively thin and their sweetness is slightly poorer. Glycyrrhiza pallidiflora and bitter licorice taste bitter, which can be used to distinguish them.