Reduces Stress, Soothes the GI Tract, and More!
Crystal Maceira, CBP, LMT, MH
September-October 2019 • Vol 3, No 106
Licorice isn’t really a weed in Montana, but it does grow like a weed in the warm areas of Europe, some Mediterranean islands, and parts of Asia, like Turkey and Persia. Although there are many varieties of this plant, there are only two varieties of Glycyrrhiza glabra that the pharma will use.
As mentioned, in the bottomlands of Turkey, it is considered an aggressive weed. In the early 1900s, large amounts of licorice were exported as a drug in the form of a paste from Smyrna and Sokia.
I am currently growing this herb, and I can see why they say it is an aggressive weed. I started it from seed last year in my greenhouse. I decided to transplant it to one side of my greenhouse last fall, since they grow up to five feet. In the spring, it didn’t seem like it was growing, so I tilled along there to work the soil, thinking I would plant something else. To my surprise, the plant just sprang up! I ended up having eight vigorous licorice plants grow along that area.
