Корень солодки: происхождение, свойства и применение.

Root of Glycyrrhiza glabra

Liquorice (British English) or licorice (American English; /IPA/'/l//ɪ//k//ər//ɪ//ʃ//, // //ɪ//s/ LIKərish, iss) is the common name of Glycyrrhiza glabra, a flowering plant of the bean family Fabaceae, from the root of which a sweet, aromatic flavouring is extracted. The liquorice plant is an herbaceous perennial legume native to Western Asia, North Africa, and Southern Europe. Liquorice extracts have been used in herbalism and traditional medicine. itself ultimately derived from Greek γλυκύρριζα (the Modern Greek spelling of the genus is γλυκόριζα) literally meaning 'sweet root' and referring to Glycyrrhiza glabra. The latter gives the plant binomial name with glabra meaning smooth and referring to the plant's smooth husks; the former came to being via the influence of liquere, 'to become fluid', reflecting the method of extracting the sweet component from the roots. as of 2021, its English common name is spelled 'liquorice' in most of the Commonwealth, but 'licorice' is also used in some countries.

Liquorice is a herbaceous perennial, growing to in height, with pinnate leaves about long, with 9–17 leaflets. The flowers are long, purple to pale whitish blue, produced in a loose inflorescence. The fruit is an oblong pod, long, containing several seeds. The roots are stoloniferous.

Liquorice root contains triterpenoids, polyphenols, and polysaccharides. The scent of liquorice root comes from a complex and variable combination of compounds, of which anethole is some 3% of total volatiles. Much of the sweetness in liquorice comes from glycyrrhizin, which has 30–50 times the sweetness of sugar. The sweetness is different from sugar, being less instant, tart, and lasting longer.

Liquorice grows best in well drained soils in deep valleys with full sun. It is harvested in the autumn two to three years after planting. Liquorice provides tobacco products with a natural sweetness and a distinctive flavour that blends readily with the natural and imitation flavouring components employed in the tobacco industry.

Liquorice flavour is found in a wide variety of candies or sweets. In most of these candies, the taste is reinforced by aniseed oil so the actual content of liquorice is low. In the Netherlands, liquorice confectionery (drop) is a common sweet sold in many forms. Mixing it with mint, menthol, aniseed, or laurel is common. It is also mixed with ammonium chloride (salmiak); salmiak liquorice in the Netherlands is known as zoute drop ('salty liquorice'). Strong, salty sweets are also consumed in Nordic countries where liquorice flavoured alcohols are sold, particularly in Denmark and Finland. Dried sticks of the liquorice root are a traditional confectionery in the Netherlands as were they once in Britain. They were sold simply as sticks of zoethout ('sweet wood') to chew on as a candy. Pontefract in Yorkshire, England, is where liquorice mixed with sugar began to be used as a sweet in the contemporary way. Pontefract cakes were originally made there. In Cumbria, County Durham, Yorkshire and Lancashire, it is colloquially known as 'Spanish', supposedly because Spanish monks grew liquorice root at Rievaulx Abbey near Thirsk. In Italy, Spain and France, liquorice is used in its natural form. The root of the plant is simply harvested, washed, dried, and chewed as a mouth freshener. Throughout Italy, unsweetened liquorice is consumed in the form of small black pieces made only from 100% pure liquorice extract. In Calabria, a liqueur is made from pure liquorice extract and in Reggio Emilia a soft drink called acqua d'orcio is made. Liquorice is also used in Syria and Egypt. In southeastern Turkey, such as in Diyarbakır, licorice root is traditionally made into a chilled beverage that is most commonly consumed in summer.

Properties of glycyrrhizin are under preliminary research, such as for hepatitis C or topical treatment of psoriasis, but the low quality of studies as of 2017 prevents conclusions about efficacy and safety.

In traditional Chinese medicine, a related species G. uralensis (often translated as "liquorice") is known as gancao , and is believed to "harmonize" the ingredients in a formula. although there is no high quality clinical research to indicate it is safe or effective for any medicinal purpose. The European Medical Agency added liquorice to their list of herbal medicine.

The essential oils inhibit the growth of Aspergillus flavus.

The United States Food and Drug Administration regards that foods containing liquorice and its derivatives (including glycyrrhizin) are generally recognized as safe for use as a food ingredient, if not consumed excessively. Because the composition of liquorice extracts in various products may exist in a broad range, there is not enough scientific information to determine that a specific level of intake is safe or unsafe. Other adverse effects may include electrolyte imbalance, edema, increased blood pressure, weight gain, heart problems, and weakness. Symptoms depend on the severity of toxicity. Some other complaints include fatigue, shortness of breath, kidney failure, and paralysis.

The major dose limiting toxicities of liquorice are corticosteroid in nature, because of the inhibitory effect that its chief active constituents, glycyrrhizin and enoxolone, have on cortisol degradation, and include edema, hypokalaemia, weight gain or loss, and hypertension.