You probably don’t give it a second thought as you browse the candy isles, but some of those delectable confections actually wouldn’t exist – if not for the presence of a shrub – and, most likely, someone who planted, cared for, and harvested that shrub. This article will add to your knowledge of the shrub named Licorice, sometimes spelled, Liquorice.

It’s an herbaceous plant, a flowering perennial whose flowers are purple to light blue in color. Classified as a legume, its closest relatives are beans and peas. Its fruit is an oblong pod that contains seeds. In Northern India, it’s called “Mulethi”, where it’s used for varied purposes. In parts of Italy, its root is dug up, washed, and chewed as a breath freshener. The Chinese use licorice as a spice to flavor broths, sauces, and other culinary delights. It’s used to flavor soft drinks and tea, as well. Licorice is even said to help people lose weight.

The sweetness of licorice comes from “Glycyrrhiza” in the root. The unique flavor comes from “anethole”, which is an unsaturated ether compound. This compound is also found in anise, fennel, and a few other herbs. The plant requires a well-drained area and favors valley locations that get full sunlight, for best growth. Harvesting normally takes place in August after two to three years of growth. The roots are crushed to extract all the useful elements, and until recently, those remains were then discarded. A process has been created, though, to make this product into chemical wood pulp, which is pressed into a strong high tensile-strength board for construction.
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