Harvesting and Using Liquorice Root

10/01/2007
This is the time of year to harvest the roots of your liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) plants. As stoloniferous plants, liquorice roots spread underground in a shallow network similar to that of horseradish. One should wait 3-4 years after planting to ensure that the roots are of adequate size before harvesting. The best way to harvest them is to dig around a clump of leaves with a sharp tree spade to loosen the roots, and then pull the clump out of the ground by hand. Numerous roots attached to the clump are best hand dug, to minimize damage and maximize the amount harvested.

Fresh dug liquorice roots are sweet, and may be chewed as candy. They may also be dried for decoctions, or crushed and boiled to produce a juice, which is evaporated to produce the well known liquorice sticks, or candy.

For those interested in commercial production, liquorice root is also used in tobacco, beer, soft drinks and laxatives.