| Neutral | zsnp | On Apr 23, 2005, zsnp from Pensacola, FL (Zone 8b) wrote: Aromatic, glandular plant. Hardy to zone 3.
Common along streams, in Ontario, MT, MN, CA, AZ, AR, TX, and Mexico. This plant is suitable for prairie gardens and perennial borders along water streams. Wild licorice not only being used in herbal medicine, it is being used as a natural sugar substitute for use in flavoring candy, cough drops, root beer, meat products, and dairy desserts.
The roots of wild licorice can be eaten, raw or cooked. They are long, sweet and fleshy, and when slow roasted are said to taste like sweet potatoes. They can be used as a flavoring in other foods as well and can also be chewed raw as a masticatory, making an excellent tooth cleaner and also very good for teething children. The root contains 6% glycyrrhizin, a substance that is 50 times sweeter than sugar. The tender young shoots can be eaten raw in the spring.
All parts of the plant are medicinal, but the roots are the most active part. A tea of the root is used to speed the delivery of the placenta after childbirth, it is also used to treat coughs, diarrhea, chest pains, fevers in children, stomach aches etc. It is also used as a wash or poultice on swellings. The chewed root can be retained in the mouth as a treatment for toothache and sore throats. The juice from chewing raw roots was swallowed to strengthen the voice of singers. The mashed leaves are used as a poultice on sores, and leaves have been placed in the shoes to absorb moisture. |
2 vendors have this plant for sale.
