A healthy candy: liquorice

Candy is not something I often eat. I'm more of a savoury snack eater: nuts, tortilla chips, rusks, especially Scandinavian ones, and so on are more likely to land in my bag or in my drawer at work than anything sweet. But I do have a weak spot: liquorice (well, also those gum cola bottles in the pic above, but that's another story). At this point you'll probably be either craving for some or making a disgusted face. I guess liquorice is one of the many things that divide people's tastes. Some, like me, like the sweet and at the same time bitter, anise-y taste of liquorice (or licorice for the Americans). Others, like my sweet half, feel sick if only they think about it. Therefore, if you fall into the second category, you might want to stop now. Otherwise... here we go.

Liquorice is not only the English name of the Glychyrriza glabra plant, a member of the Fabaceae or bean family, but also the name of the juice extracted by the roots of the plant. This juice is the base for a whole range of different candies. A great site for liquorice lovers, carrying info on many of these, is Licorice finder. Although I like almost any candy containing liquorice, I'm partial to the pure liquorice pieces made by Amarelli and to the salty salmiakki, the Finnish liquorice containing salmiac or ammonium chloride.

Now, not that I need any reason other than liking liquorice to buy and eat these candies. Still, knowing that liquorice is good for you is an added extra that makes it even nicer. Liquorice seems to have a protective effect on the walls of the digestive system, help with coughs and might have a wide range of other pharmacological activities. If you're interested in knowing more I can strongly recommend the page on liquorice found in Gernot Katzer's spice dictionary, a great site for herbs and spices, and also the links you can find on this page. There is one possible negative effect of liquorice: glychyrrizhin, the main alkaloid of this plant, has a strong hypertensive effect. Although it is quite unclear if having one or two liquorice candies a day can actually effect blood pressure in any way, it is probably better to avoid indulging in them if you suffer from high blood pressure. But the positive effects of this great plants don't end here. Today an interesting article reports that a compound found in liquorice might help improve memory in old age. I seriously doubt there's enough of this compound in candies to have any effect but an extra excuse to eat liquorice is always welcome!

Comments

[ladygoat]

You know I don't think I've ever had real licorice. I've only had Twizzlers, which I'm certain have no licorice in them. I'll have to look for some! Maybe it could help memory problems in 28-year-olds too. :)

[Alberto]

If by memory problems you mean something like "where did I put my car keys?" or "where did I leave my glasses?" then the answer is sadly no :-).