Health Benefits of Licorice

Liquorice or Licorice is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra from which a sweet flavour can be extracted.

It grows to 1 metre (39 in) in heigh, flowers are purple to pale whitish blue, the fruit is an oblong pod, containing several seeds.  The roots are stoloniferous, and much of the sweetness in liquorice comes from glycyrrhizin, which has a sweet taste that 30 to 50 times the sweetness of sugar, but has a very different taste than sugar.

Benefits:

Liquorice extracts have been used in herbalism and traditional medicine for thousands of years. According to Compendium of Materia Medica written by the uncrowned king of Chinese naturalists LeeShiZhen, published in 1593.

Clean your internal organ, strengthen your bone and muscles, disinfection and detoxification.  shortness of breath, bruises and coughs, thirst quenching, Cold pain in the main abdomen, cure epilepsy, relief abdominal fullness, tonic five internal organs, nourishing kidney gas, back pain, forgetfulness, diarrhea, to sore throat, vomiting child's fetal poisoning epilepsy, relieve pain.

Cautions:

Foods containing liquorice and its derivatives (including glycyrrhizin) are safe if not consumed excessively. Licorice should not be used during pregnancy.

An increase in intake of licorice can cause many toxic effects. Like increase blood pressure, weight gain, heart problems and weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, renal failure and paralysis, so it is important to monitor the amount of licorice consumed in order to prevent toxicity.