Licorice or glycyrrhiza glabra is a perennial herb indigenous to Greece, Italy, Spain, Syria, Iraq and southern China. The root penetrates deeply into the ground and is the part of the herb that contains an abundance of valuable properties. The root yields a substance known as glycyrrhizin or glycyrrhizic acid which is 50 times as sweet as sugar cane.
Licorice tea benefits have been well-known to the people of the Mediterranean and Asia since ancient times but are only now slowly inching their way into the mainstream’s consciousness.
Licorice tea is used medicinally. Though the health benefits have yet to be scientifically-verified, there is widespread proof that licorice tea is indeed a beneficial beverage.
Among the widely-observed licorice tea benefits are the following:
Licorice tea speeds healing of stomach ulcers;
Licorice tea aids in soothing viral liver inflammations;
Licorice tea fights boils;
Licorice tea combats diarrhea;
Licorice tea is good for treating headaches;
Licorice tea overcomes excessive thirst;
Licorice tea treats sore throat
Furthermore, there is some evidence that licorice tea may help the body fight viruses by encouraging the production of interferon.