Liquorice
|
|
| Liquorice | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
| Species | ||||||||||||||||
|
Glycyrrhiza acanthocarpa |
Liquorice (Br.) or licorice (Am.) is the plant, Glycyrrhiza glabra, in the Family Fabaceae from which a sweet flavour can be extracted. The liquorice plant is a legume related to beans and peas and native to southern Europe and parts of Asia. Very little commercial liquorice is grown in North America, but wild liquorice (G. lepidota) is quite common.
| Contents |
Liquorice extract
Liquorice extract is produced by boiling liquorice root and subsequently evaporating most of the water (in fact, the word 'liquorice' is derived from the Ancient Greek words for 'sweet root'). Liquorice extract is traded both in solid and syrup form. Its active principle is glycyrrhizin, a sweetener more than 50 times as sweet as sucrose which also has pharmaceutical effects. Chinese liquorice (G. uralensis), which is used extensively in traditional Chinese medicine, contains this chemical in much greater concentration.
Pharmaceutical effects
Liquorice extract is an effective cough remedy (expectorant), and has been used for this purpose since ancient times. Liquorice is also a mild laxative. Large doses of the glycyrrhizin in liquorice extract can lead to an increased blood pressure. This is due to effects of glycyrrhizin on the enzyme 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (type 1).
Use as a flavorant
Liquorice flavor is found in a wide variety of liqourice candies. The most popular in the United Kingdom are very sweet Liquorice Allsorts. In continental Europe, however, far stronger, saltier, candies are preferred. It should be noted, though, that in most of these candies the taste is reinforced by aniseed oil, and the actual content of liquorice is quite low. Additionally, liquorice is found in some soft drinks, and is in some herbal teas where it provides a sweet aftertaste. The flavour is common in medicines to disguise unpleasant flavours.
See also
- Spices of similar flavor: Anise, star anise, fennel
External links
- Herbmed entry (http://www.herbmed.org/Herbs/Herb101.htm)
- Glycyrrhiza glabra at plants for a future (http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Glycyrrhiza+glabra)
- Glycyrrhiza glabra at Liber Herbarum II (http://www.liberherbarum.com/Pn0259.HTM)
- Glycyrrhiza glabra at 'A Modern Herbal' by Mrs. M. Grieve 1931 (http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/l/liquor32.html)de:Lakritze