What plant is licorice?
A species in the genus Glycyrrhiza of the Fabaceae family, scientific name Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fisch., a perennial herbaceous plant. Also known as Guolao. Its rhizome and root are used as medicine, and it is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine. It is mainly produced in China, the former Soviet Union, the Mediterranean coast and some countries in Central Asia. In China, it is mainly produced in the Northeast, Northwest and Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The product is exported in large quantities. It mainly relies on wild resources. Plants of the same genus include Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and Glycyrrhiza inflata Batal., which are also used as medicine, produced in the ** Uyghur Autonomous Region and Gansu Province.
The licorice plant is 30-80 cm tall. The rhizome is cylindrical, the main root is very long, the outer bark is reddish brown to dark, and the inside is yellow. Odd-pinnate compound leaves. Racemose inflorescence, papilionaceous flowers pale violet. The fruit is a legume, covered with prickly glandular hairs. The legumes of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza inflata are smooth or nearly smooth.
It grows wild in cool, dry climates and on arid calcareous soils, and is suitable for planting in deep, well-drained, loose sandy soil or sandy loam. It is propagated by two methods: seeds and rhizomes. The latter grows faster and is the commonly used method.
① Rhizome propagation. When harvesting in spring and autumn, select the small rhizomes not used as medicine, cut them into small sections of 5-10 cm, each section having 2-3 buds, and plant them in furrows at a spacing of 20 cm, then cover with soil, firm, and water. After the seeds germinate, thin the seedlings if the young plants grow too densely. Each year, weeding, loosening the soil and earthing up must be done 2-3 times, and topdressing 1-2 times.
② Seed propagation. In autumn, deeply plow the land about 50 cm, apply farmyard manure or compost, and make raised beds 1 m wide, with 3 furrows dug in each bed, the sowing furrow about 2 cm deep, and the transplanting furrow about 5 cm deep. Before sowing, rub the seed coat to break it, or soak in warm water and store in moist sand for 1 to 2 months, or soak in warm water at 60°C for 4-6 hours, then remove and place in a warm place, cover with a wet cloth, and rinse with clean water twice a day, and sow when the seeds crack and sprout. Sow the seeds evenly into the furrows, cover with 2 cm of soil, and open holes about 6 cm deep, sowing 3-6 seeds per hole. Diseases and pests include brown spot disease Cercospora astragali Woronichin, powdery mildew Erysiphe polygoni, rust Uromyces glycyrrhizae; aphids, red spiders and cutworms.
Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, which is the potassium salt and calcium salt of glycyrrhizic acid, and is the sweet component of licorice. Hydrolysis of glycyrrhizic acid yields 18β-glycyrrhetinic acid. In addition, it also contains a variety of flavonoid compounds. Sweet in taste, neutral in nature. It has the functions of tonifying the spleen and replenishing qi, relieving cough and resolving phlegm, clearing heat and detoxifying, and harmonizing various medicines. It is used for weakness of the spleen and stomach, insufficiency of middle qi, cough, carbuncles and sores, and neutralizing drug toxicity. Licorice preparations are also used to treat peptic ulcers, anti-inflammation, anti-allergy, and cough suppression. Besides medicinal use, it is also widely used in the food industry and light industry.