Glycyrrhiza lepidota

Glycyrrhiza lepidota, commonly known as wild licorice, is a native North American legume. It typically grows in prairie regions of the United States and Canada, and is noted for its deep taproot and compound leaves. While sharing its genus with the commercially important licorice plant (*Glycyrrhiza glabra*), specific medicinal uses of G. lepidota are less extensively documented across cultures.

Historically, certain Indigenous groups of North America utilized infusions or decoctions made from the roots of wild licorice. Sources indicate that the Cheyenne, Hidatsa, and Dakota peoples prepared these preparations. However, detailed ethnobotanical records specifically confirming traditional medicinal or culinary applications of infusions, decoctions, tinctures, macerations, or poultices for Glycyrrhiza lepidota are limited and not well-established across multiple documented sources. Given the lack of substantial, verifiable evidence for specific traditional preparations involving the plant parts used (such as roots) within the criteria requested (teas, tinctures, decoctions, macerations, or poultices), no relevant information can be provided.

Common products:
- Licorice extract derived from the dried roots, valued for its sweet flavor due to glycyrrhizin.
- Dried root pieces used as a culinary spice for flavoring sauces, desserts, and confections.

Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
- Flavoring in licorice‑type candies, chews, and baked goods.
- Ingredient in root‑beer and other soda beverages, providing a characteristic licorice note.
- Used as a sweetening and flavoring element in ice cream, syrups, and specialty desserts.
- Historically chewed as a natural sweet by Indigenous peoples.

Colorants and tanning:
- Root extracts produce a brown dye historically applied to protein fibers such as wool and silk in folk textile crafts.
- The brown pigment, derived from flavonoids and phenolic compounds, is employed in natural dyeing practices.

Industrial and craft applications:
- Extraction of glycyrrhizin for use as a natural flavoring agent in the food and beverage industry.
- Use of root extract as a natural brown pigment in craft‑work and artistic dye applications.

Properties relevant to use:
- Glycyrrhizin content of 0.1–0.2 % of dry root weight gives an intense, sweet taste.
- Glycyrrhizin is water‑soluble and retains its sweetness under moderate heating.
- The root’s brown coloration arises from flavonoids and phenolic compounds that bind to protein fibers, yielding durable shades.
- Low alkaloid levels and modest toxicity at culinary concentrations.

Standards and regulation:
- Licorice flavoring derived from Glycyrrhiza lepidota is classified as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when used within established concentration limits.
- European Union Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 specifies maximum permitted glycyrrhizin levels in food and beverages for all licorice species.

Sustainability and sourcing:
- The species is not cultivated commercially; roots are harvested from wild populations in the United States and Canada.
- Sustainable harvesting guidelines recommend removing only a portion of roots to allow natural regeneration; many states monitor populations and restrict collection in protected habitats.
- Conservation programs protect the species’ prairie and meadow habitats to ensure continued availability of wild stock.

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No distribution data was extracted from POWO/KEW yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

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