Deep-rooted coarse-textured plant native to the Mediterranean region having blue flowers and pinnately compound leaves; widely cultivated in Europe for its long thick sweet roots.
Liquorice is used as a flavouring and sweetening agent. It has demulcent and expectorant properties and has been used in cough preparations. It has ulcer-healing properties that may result from stimulation of mucus synthesis. It also has mild anti-inflammatory and mineralocorticoid properties associated with the presence of glycyrrhizinic acid and its metabolite glycyrrhetinic acid, which is an inhibitor of cortisol metabolism. Liquorice may also possess some antispasmodic and laxative properties. Liquorice has a reduced mineralocorticoid activity and has been used, usually with antacids, for the treatment of peptic ulcer disease.
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