Fabaceae FAMILY

Glycyrrhiza echinata

Edibility

3/5

Medicinal

3/5

Safety & Hazards

Whilst licorice is basically a very safe and effective medicine, when used over a long period or in large quantities it can raise the blood pressure. A gross overdose of the root can cause oedema, high blood pressure and congestive heart failure[ 9 Title Edible and Medicinal Plants. Publication Author Launert. E. Publisher Hamlyn Year 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2 Description Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information. , 65 Title A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. Publication Author Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. Publisher Wolfe Year 1984 ISBN 0723408394 Description Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far. ].

Botanical Description

Glycyrrhiza echinata is a herbaceous, perennial plant growing from a rhizomatous rootstock. It produces a cluster of stems that can be procumbent to ascending, either simple or branching in their lower part, usually growing 50 - 100cm long[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. Some reports say that it is cultivated as a medicinal plant, but this is probably an error.

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate

Native RangeEurasia - Italy through Hungary to southwest Russia and western Siberia; through Greece and Turkey to the Levant, Caucasus, Kazakhstan and Iran

HabitatMuddy places by rivers[ 45 Title Flowers of Greece and the Balkans. Publication Author Polunin. O. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1980 ISBN 0-19-217626-9 Description A good pocket flora, it also lists quite a few plant uses. ]. Meadows of river valleys[ 74 Title Flora of the USSR. Publication Author Komarov. V. L. Website http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org Publisher Israel Program for Scientific Translation Year 1968 ISBN - Description An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers. It can be downloaded from the Internet. ].