(_Glycyrrhiza glabra L._)
DR. ALBERT SCHNEIDER, Northwestern University School of Pharmacy.
But first he cheweth greyn and _licorys_
To smellen sweete.--_Miller's Tale, l. 504; Chaucer._
The licorice yielding plant is a perennial herb with a thick
root-stock, having a number of long sparingly branched roots and very
long runners or rhizomes. It belongs to the same family as the peas
and beans (_Leguminosæ_). It has purplish flowers with the irregular
corolla characteristic of the family. The pods are rather small, much
compressed, each with from two to five seeds.
The plant is in all probability a native of the warm parts of the
Mediterranean region. There are several varieties of _G. glabra_, all
of which are more or less extensively cultivated and placed upon the
market.
As to the exact habitat of licorice there is some difference of
opinion. According to some authorities its native home is in the
vicinity of the sea of Azov. Dioscorides was among the first to give a
description of the plant and designated the pontic lands and Kappadonia
of Asia Minor as its home. The Romans named the plant _Glycyrrhiza_.
Celsius, Scribonius Largus, and Plinius described it as _Radix dulcis_,
sweet root, on account of its sweet taste. Galenus, the eminent Roman
physician, made extensive medicinal use of the roots as well as of the
juice. Alexander Trallianus also recommended licorice very highly.
Although this plant enjoyed extensive use during the middle ages it was
apparently not included in the herbal list of Charlemagne, _Karl der
Grosse_. In the 13th century licorice was highly prized in Switzerland
as a remedy for lung troubles. It was similarly used in Wales and
in Denmark. Pietro di Crescenzi of Bologna (1305) was the first to
give a full report of the occurrence and cultivation of licorice.
The Benedictine monks of St. Michaelis cultivated it extensively in
the vicinity of Bamberg. The eminent authority, Flückiger, reports a
peculiar practice by these monks. A new hand in the horticultural work
was initiated by requiring him to dig up a complete root of a licorice
plant with all its branches including the rhizome. This was by no
means an easy task on account of the ramification of the roots and the
extreme length of the rhizome.
Glycyrrhiza is extensively cultivated in Greece, Italy, France, Russia,
Germany, the Danubian Provinces, southern China, northern Africa,
and to some extent in England. In the Italian province of Calabria
licorice is planted with peas and corn. In the course of three years
the roots are collected, the juice expressed and root evaporated to the
proper consistency for shipping. New crops are grown from cuttings of
the rhizomes. There is an excellent quality of licorice grown in the
vicinity of Smyrna. The principal commercial varieties are grown in
Spain, southern Russia, Turkey and Italy. Spanish and Russian licorice
root is dried and shipped in bales or bundles. Spanish licorice root is
unpeeled and occurs in pieces several feet in length. Russian licorice
is usually peeled. Most of the licorice used in the United States is
obtained from Italy, Russia, and Germany. Some of the licorice found
upon the market is quite fragmentary and very dirty. The licorice
raised in England is intended for home consumption and is placed upon
the market in both the fresh and dried state. The fresh roots have an
earthy and somewhat nauseous odor. The peel, or bark, of the roots
contains tannic acid and a resinous oil, both of which are undesirable;
hence the peeled article is usually preferred.
[Illustration: LICORICE.
FROM KOEHLER'S MEDICINAL-PFLANZEN.
CHICAGO:
A. W. MUMFORD PUBLISHER.]
DESCRIPTION OF PLATE.--_A_, flowering portion of plant; 1, flower;
2, 3, 4, parts of the flower; 5, stamens; 6, stigma; 7, ovary; 8,
fruit; 9, one valve of pod with seeds; 10, 11, 12, different views
of seed.
The characteristically sweet taste of the licorice roots and rhizomes
is due to glycyrrhizin and some sugar. Glycyrrhizin is a glucoside
which splits up into glucose, a substance closely akin to sugar, and
glycyrretin, a bitter substance. The extract of licorice is prepared
by crushing the fresh roots or rhizomes, then boiling repeatedly in
water, expressing and then condensing the sap in copper kettles until
it is quite hard when cooled. In Calabria the condensed juice, while
still warm and pliable, is rolled into sticks and stamped with the name
of the locality where it was prepared. In those countries where the
fresh roots cannot be obtained the dried roots are crushed and then
treated as above. The licorice sticks prepared in this country usually
have stamped upon them the initials of the manufacturing firm. Much
of the evaporated juice is also placed upon the market in large lumps
or masses. The pure licorice extract, prepared as indicated above, is
a glossy black, very brittle, with a glassy fracture. For shipment it
must be carefully packed to prevent its being broken into small bits.
To reduce the brittleness various substances are added as starch and
gum arabic.
Licorice extract is a highly appreciated sweetmeat but unfortunately
it is often grossly adulterated with dextrin, starch, sugar, and gum
arabic. Many of the licorice drops, etc., contain very little licorice,
but even the poorest article seems to be highly prized by the average
child. Licorice extract in mass is known as licorice paste and is
extensively employed in preparing chewing tobacco and in brewing beer,
to which substances it imparts a peculiar flavor and a dark color.
Licorice extract is a popular remedy for colds and sore throat,
though its curative powers are certainly very slight. Physicians make
extensive use of it to disguise the disagreeable taste of medicines,
such as quinine. It is an ingredient of many cough remedies. The finely
powdered roots are dusted over pills to prevent their adhesion and to
give them consistency.
Licorice roots have the same properties as the extract and may be
similarly used. Many children prefer the dried roots obtained at the
drug store to the stick licorice or the licorice drops. This choice is
in many respects a good one; the roots are at least not adulterated,
but of course only the juice should be swallowed--a precaution which
it is not necessary to emphasize--as the fibrous nature of the wood
makes it difficult to swallow. Even if a little of it is swallowed no
particular harm would be done, as it is not in the least poisonous,
though the fibers may act as an irritant to the stomach.
As already indicated there are several species of _Glycyrrhiza_ of
which the roots and rhizomes are used like those of _G. glabra_, but,
in addition to these there are a number of other plants designated
as licorice. Indian licorice or the wild licorice of India (_Abrus
precatorius_), is a woody twining plant growing quite abundantly in
India; it is sometimes substituted for true licorice. Prickly licorice
(_Glycyrrhiza echinata_) resembles true licorice quite closely. The
wild licorice of America (_Glycyrrhiza lepidota_) is found in the
Northwest. Its roots are quite sweet and often used as a substitute
for true licorice. The European plant known as "rest harrow" (_Ononis
spinosa_), so-called because its tangled roots impede the progress of
the harrow, has roots with an odor and taste resembling licorice. The
roots are extensively employed by the country practitioners of France
and Germany in the treatment of jaundice, dropsy, gout, rheumatism,
toothache, ulcers, and eruptive diseases of the scalp. The name, wild
licorice, also applies to _Galium circaezans_ and _Galium lanceolatum_
on account of the sweetish roots. The wild licorice of Australia is
_Teucrium corymbosum_. Licorice vetch (_Astragalus glycyphyllus_) has
sweet roots. Licorice weed (_Scoparia dulcis_) is a common tropical
plant which also has sweet-tasting roots.