Glycyrrhiza uralensis / GAN CAO / Chinese Liquorice Root

Botanical Name – Glycyrrhiza uralensis

Chinese Name – GAN CAO

English Name – Chinese Liquorice Root

Glycyrrhiza uralensis, also known as Chinese liquorice, is a flowering plant native to Asia. It is used as a sweetener and in traditional Chinese medicine. It is considered to be one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is considered to be second in importance only to Panax Ginseng.

Liquorice root is most commonly produced in the Shanxi, Gansu and Xinjiang regions of China. It is most commonly found growing in Meadows, riparian woodlands and solonetzic slopes in Siberia, Mongolia, China and Japan.

Used in excess, it can cause cardiac dysfunction and severe hypertension.

The root contains glycyrrhizin, which is 50 times sweeter than sugar.