The substance glyzyrrhizin is a saponine which works expectorant and cough promoting. The substance works diuretic, laxative and inflammatory. Liquorice root its effective in the stomach and the upper respiratory system.
The scent of liquorice root comes from a complex and variable combination of compounds, of which anethole is up to 3% of total volatiles. Much of the sweetness in liquorice comes from glycyrrhizin, which has a sweet taste, 30–50 times the sweetness of sugar. The sweetness is very different from sugar, being less instant, tart, and lasting longe
The plant is perennial and it developes wooden-like stems. The leaves are large with a fresh green colour and the small flowers in July and September are purple or pale whitish blue with a loose inflorescence. the fruit is oblong, containing several seeds. the roots are widely branched and the offshoots can send shoots to about 8 meter from the mother plant.
ago the root was used in ointments upon inflamed wounds. Liqourice root is still written in the Pharmacopoeia.
Most liquorice is used as a flavouring agent for tobacco. American blend cigarettes made up a larger portion of worldwide tobacco consumption in earlier years, and the percentage of liquorice products used by the tobacco industry was higher in the past. Liquorice provides tobacco products with a natural sweetness and a distinctive flavour that blends readily with the natural and imitation flavouring components employed in the tobacco industry. It represses harshness and is not detectable as liquorice by the consumer. Tobacco flavourings such as liquorice also make it easier to inhale the smoke by creating bronchodilators, which open up the lungs. Chewing tobacco requires substantially higher levels of liquorice extract as emphasis on the sweet flavour appears highly desirable
Liquorice flavour is found in a wide variety of candies or sweets. In most of these candies, the taste is reinforced by aniseed oil so the actual content of liquorice is very low. Liquorice confections are primarily purchased by consumers in the European union. In the Netherlands, liquorice confectionery (drop) is one of the most popular forms of sweets. It is sold in many forms. Mixing it with mint, menthol, aniseed or laurel is quite popular. Mixing it with ammonium chloride (salmiak) is also popular. Strong, salty sweets are also popular in Nordic countries. Pontefract in Yorkshire was the first place where liquorice mixed with sugar began to be used as a sweet in the same way it is in the modern day. Pontefract cakes were originally made there. In County Durham, Yorkshire, and Lancashire, it is colloquially known as 'Spanish', supposedly because Spanish monks grew liquorice root at Rievaulx Abbey near Thirsk.
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In traditional Chinese medicine, liquorice is believed to "harmonize" the ingredients in a formula and to carry the formula to the 12 regular meridians. Liquorice has been traditionally known and used as medicine in Ayurveda for rejuvenation.
Licorice root is used in cough medicine . The slime substances lie like a thin film over the mucosa and protect against irritation. Singers chew the sweet root in order to start the saliva production in mouth and throat.
NB:
Don't eat liquorice root for a long time since it can interfere with the sodium potassium balance.
The heart function might be unclear and the kidneys work to much with a too concentrated urine. The liquorice root might result in edema and increase the blood pressure.
Persons with a high blood pressure must not take liquorice juice without consulting a doctor.