Common Name:

General Information

Glycyrrhiza aspera is a herbaceous perennial plant producing a cluster of erect, usually unbranched stems 10 - 30cm tall from a slender, rhizomatous rootstock[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a tea.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

Europe - southern Russia; Asia - western Russia, Caucasus, through Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan and central Asia to Mongolia and NW China

Habitat

Margins of farms, riverbanks, steppes; at elevations from 100 - 800 metres[]. Dry steppes, semideserts, desert oases in central Asia[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Glycyrrhiza aspera is a plant mainly of semi-arid regions where the summers can be very hot and the winters very cold, often with snow.
Requires a deep well cultivated fertile moisture-retentive soil[]. Slightly alkaline conditions produce the best plants[].
Unless seed is required, the plant is usually prevented from flowering so that it puts more energy into producing good quality roots[].
A very deep-rooted plant, it can be difficult to eradicate once it is established[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria, these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

A tea is made from the leaves[].

Medicinal

An ethanolic extract of the roots has been shown to posess antioxidant activity and to exert an antimutagenic activity, making it of value in the prevention of various cancers. The compounds responsible were identified as glyurallin A, glyasperin B, licoricidin, 1-methoxyphaseollin, and licoisoflavone B[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow spring or autumn in a greenhouse[]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle, and grow them on for their first winter in a greenhouse. Plant out in late spring or early summer when in active growth. Plants are rather slow to grow from seed[].
Division of the root in spring or autumn. Each division must have at least one growth bud. Autumn divisions can either be replanted immediately or stored in clamps until the spring and then be planted out[]. It is best to pt up the smaller divisions and grow them on in a cold frame until they are established before planting them out in the spring or summer.