Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza glabra)

Yashtimadhu
Botanical name: Glycyrrhiza glabra
Also known as: Licorice Root, Mulethi, Sweet Wood

Yashtimadhu means “sweet stick,” named for the long golden roots that taste naturally sweet. It is one of the most beloved herbs in Ayurveda, valued for its soothing, harmonizing nature and often used to bring balance to a formula.

Physical uses & benefits:

• Traditionally considered cooling, soothing, and moistening

• Classically used to support digestion and calm acidity

• Traditionally used to nourish and soothe the skin

• Naturally occurring glycyrrhizin and flavonoids studied for anti-inflammatory activity

Spiritual benefits:
Licorice is known as a great harmonizer, softening what is tense and helping other herbs work together. Spiritually, it speaks to the sweetness that lives underneath hardness and the strength it takes to stay tender. It invites us to feel deeply without breaking, and to let calm settle where there has been tension.