1137
Isolate, straight; keel two-parted or two-petalous, straight, acute.a mens diadelphous. Style iiliform. Legume ovate or ohlong, compressed,e ' c elled, one- to four-seeded.—Perennial herbs with extremely sweetLeaves unequallv-pinnated. Racemes axillary.. Flowers blue,or white (D.C.)
‘ a/ ‘. Char .— Leaflets ovate, slightly retuse, viscid beneath. Stipules^ n °- Spikes pedunculated [i. e. racemes], shorter than the leaves.°n>ers distant. Legumes smooth, three- or lonr-seeded (1). C.)
&tem erect, smooth, four or five feet high.
°jcers papilionaceous, bluish or purplish.
Leaflets yellowish-green.
otli
ir,
or places, for medicinal use. , , . .
Inscription.—T he underground stem is denominated hquonce-root
^■ ( ^ c ylycyrrhizee sen liquoritice) or stick liquorice. It is in long cylin, lc al pieces, about the thickness of the finger. Externally it is grayish-r c " n ’ internally yellow. Its odour is rather sickly and earthy : its taste^rkably sweet.
l8nd )iII>0SITI0N .—Licf u0 rice root (G. glabra ) was analyzed by Robiquet injo,.: [Ann. de Chim. lxxii. 143). Trommsdorf (Gmelin, Handb. d. Chem. ii.ro P a nalyzed the root of G. echinata. The constituents of the fresh. °f G. glabra are, according to ltobiquet, glycyrrhizin , starch, aspa
r <i.
ofii
!)ln ' r esinous oil, albumen, woody fibre, and salts (phosphate and malate
11110 and magnesia).
'ti\ l -],pbjcyrrhizin (Glycion or Liquorice Sugar .)—Belongs to the uncrystallizable sugarsit s aft'. arc "ot susoeptible of vinous fermentation (see p. 584). It is characterized bys °lull"' ty fHr ac i (ls , with which it unites to form compounds which arc very slightlybiot* 1 6 ° n lv in water. It is yellow and transparent, and has the sweet taste of thetu' It is”soluble in both water and alcohol. Acids precipitate it from its solution.wfl'J'itics a i so wit |, |, ascS) as well as with salts. It causes precipitates with many2 * c solutions.
Hi , ■ “MK.V oil.—To this constituent, liquorice root owes the slight degree of acridity1 11 possesses.
t] 1IYk 'ological Effects. —Liquorice root and its extract are emollient,pfent, and nutritive.
hi
j se s .
0tJs - Employed as an emollient and demulcent in catarrhal affec-to Q| ,°I the mucous membranes. It is also used as a flavouring adjuncte ithe Cr TOo< ^ c i nes - Its powder is employed in the preparation of pills,^ to give them a proper consistence, or to prevent their adhesion,as illNl STRATioN.—For medicinal use the root should be decorticated ,
1 /fl’idermis possesses a slight degree of acridity.
iV a j e Bc flCTUM Glycyrrhizje, D. (Liquorice Root, bruised, 3iss.;r > Pj- Boil for ten minutes, and strain).—An agreeable demulcent:
2 ^ a '’chicle for other medicines.
Oent; a Xr fi A( ' r ruM Glycyrrhizje , L. E. D. (Prepared as Extract ofa
e 4
'^,1.1).-!gentle
Cut liquorice-root into small chips, dry it thoroughly withfa w ^ leat > reduce it to a moderately fine powder, and proceed as forat *der u Gentian , E .)—Extract of liquorice is extensively imported
4l Wiuaitj JLJmj A U UV t V/* iO VAlI/llOl*
"here • , nam e of liquorice juice, or, according to the countries frome $te eni *1 ls brought, Spanish or Italian juice. Solazzi juice is mostMiii e • The Spanish extract is prepared in Catalonia from G. glabra ;.(^Italian extract is obtained in Calabria from G. echinata (Fee,Hist. Nat. ii. ’24). In 1839 there were imported 4059 cwts. of
4 n