Licorice is one of my favourite herbal medicines for stomach ailments, including acid reflux, gastro-esophageal reflux or GERD and heartburn.

It is widely available in grocery and health food stores as a supplement, tea, candy, condiment and flavouring.

Not be confused with the candy and confectionary, also called licorice but often contains no licorice at all and has flavourings and adulterants. For instance, black licorice Twizzlers contain less than 2% licorice extract and red licorice Twizzlers contains no licorice at all. Panda licorice is a popular candy that is made with an unspecified amount of licorice extract. Many products contain anise and fennel, which has a licorice-like taste and smell.

Licorice, otherwise known in scientific nomenclature as Glycyrrhiza glabra, is a perennial plant that grows between one to two metres in height. It is native Asia, Europe and parts of the Middle East. It is a member of the Fabaceae, legume or pea family. It has distinctive small alternate leaves characteristic of the common pea family variety. It’s root and rhizomes have been used as a candy, condiment and to flavour tobacco products for several thousand years.

In traditional medicine licorice is an adrenal food, a soothing demulcent, expectorant, mild laxative and phyto-estrogen. The root and rhizomes have been used for centuries for a wide variety of illness including asthma, bronchitis, sore........

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