Glycyrrhiza glabra Seeds | Liquorice Licorice

Categories：Herb

Liquorice seeds (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

LATIN NAME: Glycyrrhiza glabra

COMMON NAME: Liquorice

Plant Profile

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) grows as an upright, bushy, perennial in the pea family. Liquorice raises its loose spikes of small, pea-like, blue-violet flowers above pinnate leaves, and the whole plant stands in the bushy, leafy clumps. It is a plant of open, sunny, deep, sandy, well-drained ground. Bees and other pollinators visit the flowers freely through the season. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.

Science & Biotechnology

Liquorice root’s sweetness comes from glycyrrhizin (glycyrrhizic acid), a saponin some fifty times sweeter than sucrose. Its metabolite glycyrrhetinic acid inhibits 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2, letting cortisol activate mineralocorticoid receptors — which explains both the herb’s anti-inflammatory utility and its well-documented toxicity: chronic high intake causes hypertension, hypokalaemia and oedema (pseudoaldosteronism). The EMA monograph accepts liquorice for symptomatic relief of mild inflammatory gastrointestinal complaints and as an expectorant. Deglycyrrhizinated (DGL) preparations remove most of this risk. It should be avoided in hypertension, kidney disease and pregnancy.

Within the pea family, Glycyrrhiza glabra is of continuing interest to researchers working on plant diversity, seed biology and the selection of improved garden forms. Species like this one find a second career as research material, especially in propagation and breeding work.

Uses & Benefits

Gardeners value Liquorice for its ornamental character, and the plant also fits naturally into herb, vegetable and cutting gardens. Liquorice is a fine, bright plant of herb patch and study collection. It is a fine, bright plant of open, sunny, deep, sandy, well-drained garden. Give young plants deep, sandy bed, and sweet roots will come in years to come. Mature plants need little attention in a well-chosen position.

Liquorice root, Gan Cao, is the most-used herb in the entire Chinese pharmacopoeia, harmonizing countless formulas, and its glycyrrhizin gives both the famous sweetness and studied soothing effects on throat and stomach. European herbalism prizes it likewise, with the caveat that heavy long-term use can raise blood pressure.

Growing from Seed

Starting Liquorice from seed is simple and satisfying. Broadcast the seed thinly over a fine, free-draining compost, sieve a little more compost on top, and water with a fine rose. Grow the youngsters on steadily in pots until well rooted, then move them to their final positions.

Our Take

Part of this plant’s appeal is the long practical history summarized above. Liquorice is the kind of plant that rewards a permanent spot. Plant it in sun with drainage to its liking and the rest is easy.

Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) - picture 2

Herb Seeds / Herb