1. Domestic origin
Licorice is mainly distributed in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, and Shuozhou, Shanxi, mainly wild. Artificially planted licorice is mainly produced in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Gansu's Hexi Corridor, the surrounding areas of Longxi, and parts of Ningxia.
2. Foreign origin
It is distributed in Asia, Europe, Australia, America and other places, most of which have traditional medicinal and other uses.
Planting benefits of licorice
1. Yield per mu
The yield of licorice grown for one year is 400-600 kg per mu, and the yield per mu after two years of growth can reach more than 1,000 kg. At present, the market price of licorice is 8-12 yuan/kg, and the income per mu is 3,000-7,000 yuan.
2. Mu investment
186 yuan for seeds, 150 yuan for fertilizer (base fertilizer + top dressing), 10 yuan for pesticides, 50 yuan for cultivated land (twice), 60 yuan for labor, and a total investment of 450 yuan per mu.
3. Mu profit
The profit of licorice planting is 2,600 to 6,000 yuan. If intercropping is adopted, the comprehensive economic benefits will be higher.
Licorice Side Effects
1. Glycyrrhizic acid in licorice extract can cause a condition called pseudoaldosteronism, which is characterized by high levels of a hormone called aldosterone in the body. Normally, this hormone helps balance potassium and sodium levels in the body. Excessive levels of this hormone can hinder the excretion of sodium and cause potassium to be excreted in the urine, which can lead to increased blood pressure and muscle damage. Loss of potassium can cause the heart and muscles to work abnormally. It also causes water retention, causing edema.
2. Excessive use of licorice can lead to increased blood pressure, muscle weakness, chronic fatigue, headaches, swelling, and lower testosterone levels in men.
3. It is also believed that excessive use of licorice by pregnant women can cause massive bleeding and even lead to premature delivery.
4. There are also reports that long-term use of licorice can cause side effects such as abnormal weight gain.
5. People with high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, or liver and menstrual problems should avoid licorice. Pregnant and breastfeeding women, and men with sexual dysfunction should also avoid this herb. People who are using angiotensin inhibitors and diuretic medications (such as aspirin, digoxin, corticosteroids, insulin, oral contraceptives, and laxatives) should also avoid licorice.
People who drink licorice tea
1. It is suitable for patients with gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, neurasthenia, bronchial asthma and thrombophlebitis.
2. It is contraindicated for patients with moderate dampness, nausea and edema.
Contraindications for drinking licorice tea
1. Do not take licorice too much, for a long time or chew it as a sweetener (especially for children), it will increase the blood sodium and potassium excretion, leading to high blood pressure, hypokalemia, edema, flaccid paralysis and other clinical manifestations . Long-term use of licorice may also cause hypocalcemia, calcium convulsions and other symptoms, leading to hypofunction of the adrenal cortex.
2. Licorice has no obvious effect on kidney yin deficiency and kidney yang deficiency, so it is rarely used or not used in prescriptions for nourishing blood, nourishing yin and nourishing yang. Most prescriptions for treating qi stagnation, ascending and descending disorders, and qi stagnation do not use licorice. Because licorice is mainly used to expel qi and divide heat, licorice is not used in the blood-cooling and hemostatic agent for treating blood heat.
3. Licorice should not be used together with antihypertensive drugs such as reserpine, Jiangyaling, and compound Jiangya tablets. Because licorice can cause hypertension and hypokalemia, it is antagonistic to antihypertensive drugs such as reserpine.
4. Taking licorice and cardiac glycosides at the same time can aggravate its toxic reaction. When taken together with hypoglycemic drugs insulin, d860, glyburide, etc., it can produce mutual antagonism and weaken the effect of hypoglycemic drugs. Hypokalemia is more likely to be caused by combined use of potassium-excreting diuretics such as thiourea.