Licorice Root Slice
Liquorice, or licorice, (/ˈlɪkᵊrɪʃ/ lik-(ə-)rish
or /ˈlɪkᵊrɪs/ lik-(ə-)ris) is the root of Glycyrrhiza glabra from which a sweet
flavour can be extracted. The liquorice plant is a herbaceous perennial legume
native to southern Europe, India, and parts of Asia. It is not botanically
related to anise, star anise, or fennel, which are sources of similar
flavouring compounds.
Most liquorice is used as a flavouring
agent for tobacco, particularly American blend cigarettes, which liquorice
gives a natural sweetness and a distinctive flavour and makes it easier to
inhale the smoke by creating bronchodilators, which open up the lungs.Liquorice
flavours are also used as candies or sweeteners, particularly in some European
and Middle Eastern countries. Liquorice extracts have a number of medical uses,
and they are also used in herbal and folk medications. Excessive consumption of
liquorice (more than 2 mg/kg/day of pure glycyrrhizinic acid, a liquorice
component) may result in adverse effects, and overconsumption should be
suspected clinically in patients presenting with otherwise unexplained
hypokalemia and muscle weakness.