Thursday, September 25, 2014

Liquorice: Food for Colds & Flu

 
Flowers of the liquorice plant
 
As we approach the season for catching colds and flu consider adding the herb to liquorice to your medicine chest.  Used as an ingredient in cough mixtures and throat lozenges, Glycyrrhiza glabra or liquorice has been used to treat sore throats, mouth ulcers, stomach ulcers, inflammatory stomach conditions and indigestion. It is also used to combat food poisoning in modern herbalism. Liquorice rhizomes can be chewed or made into tea, which with other anti-spasmodic herbs is often taken for menstrual cramps.