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There is a commonly quoted idiom in English, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” This is something that I have come to take as a kind of life philosophy, in viewing people, places, plants and situations in life. Plants especially are deep reminders of this principle, as they appear to be simple and mundane beings to our human eyes, often unworthy of our attention. They however, are much older beings than we humans are; plant life has existed since 500 million years and Homo sapiens around 300 thousand years. Most plants produce their own food through photosynthesis, thus they are self-sustaining with the help of the Sun. They produce oxygen in the process, and become food for other living beings on Earth, such as humans; they are thereby essential for life on this planet.
One of these mundane-looking beings is Licorice, Glycyrrhiza, which is Greek meaning “sweet root.” The Chinese use the root too but call it Gān Cǎo 甘草 which means “Sweet Grass.” Radix Glycyrrhiza uralensis is the species used in Chinese Medicine. It is the most utilized herb in the Chinese Materia Medica, together with other herbs in classical formulae, which is the Chinese medical way of using herbal medicine. The Chinese use the ‘team effect’ in treating with Herbal Medicine; seldom is an herb used alone, to ensure that the positive effects of the prescription are emphasized and the negative neutralized. Licorice is so often used in formulae due to its ability to harmonize the effects of other herbs. It is a balancer, a neutralizer and an envoy. Its flavor is sweet and its temperature neutral. In some text it is stated that Gān Cǎo enters all the 12 channels, particularly to the Heart, Lung, Spleen and Stomach. Licorice on its own tonifies Spleen Qi, moistens the Lung, stops coughing, clears heat and toxicity, moderates spasm and pain. As stated before, it is a moderator and harmonizer, as it is used as an antidote for toxic substances.
Another form of Licorice is used in Chinese Medicine, Zhì Gān Cǎo 炙甘草.This is a prepared form of Licorice, where it is fried with Honey. Honey Fēng Mì 蜂蜜 on its own tonifies the Spleen and Stomach, moisten the Lung and Large Intestines, as well as eliminate toxicity from the body especially from the skin. This is already what Gān Cǎo does, but when honey-fried, it further strengthens Licorice’s capacity to tonify, moisten and detoxify the individual organs.
It is probably the trait of Licorice to communicate with all the 12 channels of the body that makes it so adaptable; it is able to ‘speak the language’ of each channel and thus become a kind of ambassador. I have an image of this herb as a being that is able to connect with its gentle voice to other powerful herbs, urging them to aid a human being with her/his ailment. On the other end, Gān Cǎo whispers to our different channels in its proper language in a mild, sweet tone, bringing the healing effects of the other herbs to the right places, assessing the situation of what is needed, how much gets distributed and where in a proper manner.
When we view this herbaceous plant, with its little leaves and light purple flowers, we underestimate its real power in its root to connect and harmonize in our bodies. Just as we look at those brown, unimpressive roots, we would not imagine that Licorice could perform such profound tasks in our bodies. Like old books, which may look dull or unimpressive, Licorice’s external appearance disguises its true power to neutralize toxicity, strengthen the Qi and harmonize in our bodies.
Image Licorice root by gate74 on Pixabay
Image Licorice plant from wikicommons
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