Akar Licorice

Licorice Root (Gan Cao, ) — literally "Sweet Herb" — is the dried root and rhizome of Glycyrrhiza uralensis, a leguminous plant native to the grasslands of northern China, Mongolia, and Russia. It holds a unique position in Traditional Chinese Medicine as simultaneously one of the most clinically potent herbs and the most universally harmonising — appearing in more classical formulas than almost any other single herb. Often called "the grandfather of Chinese herbs" (, Guo Lao, meaning "Elder Statesman of the Nation"), its profound sweetness symbolises its mediating, balancing, and nourishing role.

Sweet and neutral in nature, raw Licorice Root (Sheng Gan Cao) enters the Heart, Lung, Spleen, and Stomach channels. Its actions span the full range of TCM clinical needs: tonifying Spleen Qi (building energy and digestion), moistening the Lung and stopping cough, clearing heat and resolving fire toxicity (used for sore throat, carbuncles, and toxic infections), and — most uniquely — moderating and harmonising the actions of other herbs within a formula. This last action is why Licorice appears in such a vast proportion of classical prescriptions: it reduces the harshness and side effects of stronger herbs, prolongs the duration of action, and ensures the formula works as a harmonious whole.

Licorice Root is one of the most ancient medicinal plants in the world, with documented use in Chinese medicine spanning over 3,000 years and parallel traditions in Ayurveda, ancient Greek medicine, and Egyptian healing reaching even further back.