People also take it for spasms and inflammation, for bronchitis, rheumatism, and arthritis. You can also take licorice as a laxative. Many health care providers prescribe licorice root products for peptic ulcer and chronic gastritis.
Some providers recommend licorice root to treat primary adrenocortical insufficiency.
A perennial that grows 3 to 7 feet high, licorice has an extensive branching root system. The roots are straight pieces of wrinkled, fibrous wood, which are long and cylindrical and grow horizontally underground. Licorice roots are brown on the outside and yellow on the inside. Glycyrrhizin, an active ingredient in licorice root, is 50 times sweeter than sugar. Glycyrrhizin contains a compound called glycyrrhizic acid mixed with potassium and calcium salts.