Liquorice Roots  

BOTANICAL NAME:

• Glycyrrhiza glabra

FAMILY:

• Leguminosae

SYNONYM(S):

• Nil

URDU NAME:

• Mulethi

REGIONAL NAME:

• Bengali: Yashti-Madhu
• Persian: Bikh-e-Mahaka
• Pashto: Khogawalgy, Pishin
• Sanskrit: Madizuyashti, Mudhuka
• Sindhi: Mithikathi
• Arabic: Asalussus
• Punjabi: Muleti
• Chinese: Kan Ts'ao
• Hindi: Mulhatti

UNANI/TIBBI NAME:

• Mulethi

ENGLISH NAME:

• Liquorices roots, sweet wood

HABITAT:

• It is found in Baluchistan, Sibi, Quetta, grows wild in Sindh, N.W.F.P.

DESCRIPTION:

• A 90-150 cm high perennial plant
• Lanceolate leaflets, acute or obtuse
• Flowers  purplish blue in loose recemose
• Flate, straight, oblong, and many seeded pods
• Roots stocks is large and bear numerous longs roots

PART USED:

• Roots

TASTE:

• Sweet and slightly bitter

TEMPERAMENT:

• Hot 2°, dry 1°

PERIOD OF OCCURRENCE:

• The plants are uprooted in autumn. Flowers in late summer

PROCEDURE & TIME OF COLLECTION:

• The plants are pulled out from the soil from the end of September to October.
• The roots are cut into pieces and dried.

CONSTITUENTS:

• Glycyrrhizin
• Asparagin
• Sugar
• Starch
• Acid resin
• Gum
• Mucilage
• Phosphoric, sulphuric and Malic acid
• Potassium
• Calcium
• Manganese

SUBSTITUTES:

• Kateera/tragacanth (sterculia urens)
• Anjir/fig (ficus cania linn)

ACTIONS AND USES IN UNANI SYSTEM OF MEDICINE:

Pharmacological action:

• Demulcent
• Expectorant
• Laxative
• Tonic
• Emollient
• Emmenagogue
• Diuretic

Therapeutic uses:

It is used in

• Genitor-urinary diseases
• Sore throat
• Scorpion sting
• Diseases of bladder & liver

A remedy for

• Cough and lungs complaint
• Vomiting
• Asthma
• Bronchitis
• Abdominal colitis

DOSES:

• 3-7 g

CORRECTIVES:

• Gul-e-surkh/rose (Rosa damascene )
• Kateera/tragacanth (sterculia urens)
• Unnab/jujube (zizyphus vulgare)

IMPORTANT UNANI FORMULATIONS:

• Sharbat-e- aijaz
• Laooq-e-sapis
• Laooq-e- amaltas
• Jawanish asalussus
• Laooq nazil
• Safuf loch
• Dawa-i-sandal
• Hab awaz kusha

ASTROLOGY:

• Mars