Liquorice

Liquorice is a perennial plant with aromatic roots originating from Asia Minor and the Caucasus. It can be found around the Mediterranean basin from Spain to the Middle East and in southern Russia. As early as 2800 BC, it was traditionally used by doctors in China and in 1350 BC, in Tutankhamun’s Eygpt, it was recognized as having therapeutic properties. In the 3rd century BC, in Greece, Theophrastus wrote about this “sweetener”. Glycyrrhetinic acid is an active substance found in liquorice which is used in cosmetics for its soothing properties.