Chinese Liquorice

Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Chinese liquorice, is a flowering plant native to Asia, used as a sweetener and in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a strongly rooted plant 30 to 120 centimetres tall. The root, radix glycyrrhizae, is one of the 50 fundamental herbs of Chinese medicine, where it is called gāncǎo and is used to harmonise other herbs and soften their harsh effects. It is collected in spring and autumn, sliced and dried in the sun, then used plain or stir-baked with honey. Most of it is produced in the Shanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang regions of China. The root contains glycyrrhizin, a glycoside 30 to 50 times sweeter than sucrose, together with many other plant compounds. The source also lists the effects of overusing it, which are recorded as a caution on this entry.