Licorice : information on the plant and its therapeutic properties. Contraindications, such as water retention, among the causes of cellulite and possible effects on blood pressure. How to eat pure licorice sticks.
The licorice plant
Licorice , botanical name Glycyrrhiza glabra , is a plant native to Southern Europe and Asia.
Due to its therapeutic properties , it is considered a very special plant, so much so that we are talking about one of the most used herbs.
The licorice plant is widely used by practitioners of Eastern and Western herbal medicine .
Glycyrrhiza glabra was used for healing purposes by ancient Chinese doctors and was mentioned by Hippocrates as a healing substance against cough. The oldest records of it date back to about 6,000 years ago and traces of it can even be found in the tombs of some Egyptian pharaohs. As is evident, the popularity of this plant is absolutely undisputed, as are its properties !
Glycyrrhiza glabra is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Fabaceae family (it is a legume). It grows to over a meter in height and has pinnate leaves of about 7 – 15 cm. The root of licorice is a stolon.
The typical sweet taste of licorice has been associated with a compound called glycyrrhizin .
To obtain edible licorice , you need to wait until the plant is at least three years old, at which point the root is separated and dried because it is precisely in this part that most of the active ingredients are concentrated. The leaves can also be useful but must be used as soon as they are picked.
The famous licorice chewing sticks are nothing more than the dried roots from which you can also extract the substance with which you can then produce confetti, sweets, pills or “powder” to transform into a precious ingredient to enrich herbal teas and infusions.
Licorice root
From the licorice root an extract is obtained whose properties are linked to the presence of flavonoids, volatile substances, saponins and phytoestrogens such as isoflavene glabrene and isoflavene glabridin.
Among these active ingredients that characterize licorice and its root , glycyrrhizin certainly stands out. This substance, according to experts, would have anti-inflammatory, expectorant and protective properties of the gastric mucosa. The antispasmodic properties are due to flavonoids.
Licorice appears to be effective against coughs, sore throats, catarrh, cervical pain and gastric acidity and also has a mild laxative effect .
Therapeutic properties of Licorice
Licorice is widely used in Chinese folk medicine , Ayurvedic medicine, phytotherapy, herbal medicine, homeopathy and… even allopathic medicine! It is no coincidence that the active substances of licorice are used in pharmaceutical laboratories for the preparation of drugs.
Glycyrrhizin has been shown to have the following properties:
- antiviral
- antimicrobial
- anti-inflammatory
- hepatoprotective
- hypertensive
- lipid-lowering
- expectorant
Its anti-inflammatory properties have been shown to be effective against various types of dermatitis.
Licorice has been found to be effective in the treatment of hyperlipidemia (excess fats in the blood such as high cholesterol and high triglycerides).
Some research has shown that chewing licorice root may prevent tooth decay while its extracts may protect the central nervous system from neurodegenerative diseases.
Licorice can also be used as a “therapy” to stop smoking.
Other properties associated with licorice that, however, have not found enough scientific evidence, are: antidiabetic, laxative, antiulcer, immunostimulant and antitumor properties.
Licorice and pressure
Those who suffer from low blood pressure may benefit from licorice because it increases blood pressure, but for the same reason it should be consumed sparingly. Chewing a stick of licorice may be recommended in the summer, to prevent the classic drop in blood pressure related to heat stroke.
How to take licorice
We have seen its properties, all very interesting … but … how do you eat licorice? Licorice is used in the form of:
- Juice / Extract
- Herbal tea (8 g/day maximum)
- Licorice root.
- Nebulized dry extract (500-700 mg per day).
Those who are lucky enough to have a licorice plant can prepare a herbal tea from the root of this plant. Just put 1.5 grams of dried licorice root in 150 ml of boiling water.
Anyone wondering how to eat licorice should know that the roots can also be sucked and chewed so as to absorb most of the active ingredients released through chewing.
If you don’t have licorice plants at home, you can buy licorice sticks which are very easy to find.
For example , on this Amazon page you can buy a pack of licorice root sticks in different sizes: from 50 grams to 10 kg (!)
This is liquorice produced in an artisanal way in fields certified Ecologicamente by the control body CPAEN. The fields are located in the Rivera del Ebro, Navarra, Spain, an area with an ideal climate to grow liquorice naturally.
Regardless of the product you buy, our advice is to make sure you buy untreated licorice sticks but that have simply been dried. It would also be good to choose roots derived from organic farming.
Don’t buy licorice in candy form! In that case, it is sugar with a licorice flavor. Licorice candies do not have the therapeutic properties just described.
In the kitchen, licorice is widely used for the preparation of sweets and candies. Due to its sweet and bitter taste, at the same time, it can also be used for recipes of savory dishes. With the licorice root, sauces are prepared to pair with meat and fish but also original dishes such as licorice risotto.
Licorice Contraindications and Side Effects
Licorice abuse (more than 2 mg/kg per day) can cause side effects such as headaches, swelling of the face and ankles and water retention, which causes cellulite .
Excessive consumption of licorice can also cause side effects such as constipation or diarrhea.
Licorice is contraindicated in case of hypertension, potassium deficiency in the blood (hypokalemia), overweight, pregnancy and renal insufficiency.
