Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin
-
In China, the collection of wild Glycyrrhiza uralensis, one of the raw materials of Chinese licorice, has been restricted to prevent desertification. To compensate for the reduced supply of wild Glycyrrhiza plants, cultivation programs of G. uralensis have been initiated in eastern Inner Mongolia. ⋯ In addition, glycycoumarin content, which is an antispasmodic and species-specific ingredient of G. uralensis, was similar when comparing the boiled water extracts of 4-year-old cultivated roots and licorice (0.10+/-0.02% vs. 0.10+/-0.06%). These data suggest that cultivated G. uralensis roots may be an adequate replacement for the generation of licorice in the context of the restriction of wild Glycyrrhiza plant collection.