Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) in the family Leguminosae is a tall shrub (4.5 feet; 140 cm) with blue or violet flowers. Glycyrrhiza comes from the Greek and means “sweet root”. The liquorice plant originates from the Middle East and Mediterranean. More specifically Turkey, Iraq, Spain, Greece and northern China. Its root has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years, it is the root sap has that distinctive sweet taste. The earliest usage of Liquorice was back in the first syllables of recorded time. Liquorice freaks throughout history have included Pharaohs and Prophets. Generous supplies were discovered in Emperor King Tut’s tomb, while Egyptian hieroglyphics record the use of Liquorice in a popular beverage by men in the days when the Bible was still being written! Alexander the Great, the Scythian armies, Roman Emperor Caesar, and even India’s great prophet, Brahma, are on record endorsing the beneficial properties contained in Liquorice. Warriors used it for its ability to quench thirst while on the march, while others (including Brahma and venerable Chinese Buddhist sages), recognized Liquorice’s valuable healing properties. There are historical records of it being used by the ancient civilisations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, Rome, Greece and China. Roots were found in Tutankhamen’s tomb.

The root has been used for many purposes; as a thirst quencher (very useful for armies on the march), to heal wounds and skin diseases, to cure loss of hair and ulcers, as an aphrodisiac and almost always to ease sore throats and coughs (when prepared in a liquid form).

Here at Mr Simms in Horsham we have over 40 types of liquorice to choose from from the more traditional Pontefract cakes & Liquorice wheels to salt / double salted / triple salted liquorice, We have honey liquorice, so why not come and see us and find the one that you like.