in. long, brown ovate, flat fruit legum. Root greyish brown or dark brown, wrinkled lengthwise, internally yellow, and four times sweeter than cane sugar. The roots are dug when sweetest, autumn of the fourth year, preferably of plants that have not borne fruit, a process that exhausts the sweetness of the sap. Medicinal Part: The dried root. Solvent: Water, sparingly in alcohol. Bodily Influence: Demulcent, Expectorant, Laxative, Pectoral. Uses: Licorice is the well-known root extract for coughs and chest complaints. It is best combined with part, or all, of the following: Black cohosh( Cimicifuga racemosa), Wild cherry( Prunus serotina), Flaxseed( Linum), Ginger root( Zingiber), Leman and made into an infusion for wheezing, or shortness of breath, pains of the breasts and lungs, dry cough or hoarseness. Can be used alone, however, as the root of this plant is of great esteem and can hardly be said an improper ingredient for mankind. Some of our latest information found in Green Medicine Research Laboratories in Long Island has found active materials in Licorice root with a molecular structure similar to that of hormones from the adrenal cortex( a most important function of the endocrine glandular system), besides being useful in treating chronic skin conditions. From M. B. Kreig’ s“ Green Medicine”:“ Derivatives from Licorice were given to patients with gastric ulcers, with the result that the ulcers disappeared in 37 per cent of the cases, and were greatly reduced in the remainder according to the researchers.” The reason being, Licorice is a beneficial laxative and demulcent, thus removing gastric ulcers causing material from the intestinal tract, and relieving the conditions of the unwanted ulcers.
Used since ancient times, considered a mild demulcent of little value except as a flavouring agent, until more recent research has found the root to be valuable as a source of oestrogenic hormones. Culpeper used Licorice for dropsy and to allay thirst, besides the already mentioned ailments. Too much Licorice is apt to sicken the stomach or even produce vomiting from its relaxing character. Dose: 1 lb. of Licorice root boiled in 3 pints of water, reduced by boiling to 1 quart, is an all-purpose decoction; 1 teaspoonful three times a day. 1 teaspoonful of the dried root to 1 cup of boiling water can be taken as a herbal tea, made fresh daily. Of the tincture, ½ – 1 fl. dram.
LICORICE Glycyrrhiza glabra, L.( Medicina, Moscow, 1965)
Russian Experience: Solodka Gladkaya, smooth( polished) Licorice, grows in many parts of Russia. It is used for commercial, industrial and medical purposes. Folk Medicine: Domestically very old medicine for Cough, Bronchitis, Stomachic, including Ulcers, Diuretic for inflammation of Kidney and Bladder, Chronic constipation. Medical: Preparations as extracts, powders and syrups are used for a variety of compounds, not only