gāncǎo piàn

Licorice slices (甘草片, gāncǎo piàn) are dried licorice roots, cut crosswise into thin discs and steeped in hot water to yield a mild, distinctly sweet infusion. Let us address the main point immediately: this is not tea in the botanical sense — the product contains neither the leaf nor the bud of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis), and the beverage itself falls under the Chinese classification of “substitute teas,” that is, herbal infusions (代用茶, dàiyòng chá). The raw material consists of the roots and rhizomes of several closely related species of the genus Glycyrrhiza, primarily Chinese licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis). The principal harvesting and cultivation regions lie across the arid north and northwest of the country — in Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang, Gansu, and Ningxia. In everyday life, licorice is prized for its natural sweetness and coating smoothness: it is steeped on its own, added to herbal blends and cooling decoctions, and widely used in cuisine and the food industry.

1. Classification and Origin:

• Type: herbal infusion from root; tea substitute (代用茶, dàiyòng chá)
• Family: legumes (Fabaceae, also known as Leguminosae)
• Genus: licorice (Glycyrrhiza)
• Source species: Chinese licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis), common licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), inflated licorice (Glycyrrhiza inflata)
• Chinese name of raw material: 甘草 (gāncǎo) — literally “sweet herb”

It is fundamentally important to distinguish this product from true tea. Licorice slices contain no Camellia sinensis, and the word “tea” is used here only in a colloquial sense — as a designation for a hot infusion. In the Chinese system, such beverages are classified as 代用茶 (dàiyòng chá), “substitute tea,” or simply as plant material for infusion. This is an independent genre with its own history and steeping culture, not an imitation or surrogate of tea leaves.

The Pharmacopoeia of the PRC (中国药典, Zhōngguó Yàodiǎn) for the medicinal raw material 甘草 recognizes three botanical species — Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Glycyrrhiza inflata, and Glycyrrhiza glabra. For food and household use, Chinese licorice is most commonly employed, being the most widespread in northern China.

2. History and Cultural Significance:

• Antiquity of use: more than two thousand years of written tradition
• Early mentions: licorice appears in the most ancient Chinese herbals, including the “Divine Farmer’s Classic of Materia Medica” (神农本草经, Shénnóng Běncǎo Jīng)
• Honorary epithet: 国老 (guólǎo), the “venerable elder” among herbs

Licorice is one of the most esteemed and frequently used plants in Chinese tradition. For its ability to mellow and “harmonize” the flavor and action of other components in a mixture, it was long ago dubbed 国老 (guólǎo) — an epithet attributed to the physician and scholar Tao Hongjing (陶弘景, Táo Hóngjǐng) of the Southern Dynasties period. In classical formulas, licorice was added for the purpose of “harmonizing the composition” (调和诸药, tiáohé zhū yào), and as a result it found its way into a vast proportion of traditional prescriptions.

Beyond apothecary practice, the sweet root has long lived in daily life: people chew it, steep it, add it to decoctions to quench thirst in hot weather, and use it as a natural sweetener. Hence the transition to the “tea” format — a simple sweet infusion drunk on the road, in the fields, and at home.

3. Botanical Description and Raw Material:

• Life form: perennial herbaceous plant with a powerful taproot
• Part used: root and rhizome
• Cutting shape: transverse (more rarely diagonal) slices — hence the name 甘草片
• Quality marker on the cut surface: radial pattern, “chrysanthemum heart” (菊花心, júhuā xīn)

Licorice develops a deep root system extending several meters, allowing it to survive in arid steppes and semi-deserts. For raw material, the roots and thick rhizomes are dug up, cleaned of lateral rootlets, dried, and cut crosswise. It is precisely the transverse cut that yields the round “coins” with their characteristic structure.

• Bark (outer layer): from reddish-brown to grayish-brown, with longitudinal wrinkles
• Internal tissue: pale yellow, with a mealy texture (粉性, fěnxìng)
• Cut surface pattern: a noticeable cambium ring and radial rays

A distinction is made between raw material “with bark” and peeled material (去皮, qùpí). In apothecary tradition, “raw” licorice (生甘草, shēng gāncǎo) is also distinguished from honey-processed licorice (炙甘草, zhì gāncǎo); for “tea” infusions, it is usually the raw slices that are used.

4. Terroir and Cultivation Characteristics:

• Range within the PRC: Inner Mongolia (内蒙古, Nèiménggǔ), Xinjiang (新疆, Xīnjiāng), Gansu (甘肃, Gānsù), Ningxia (宁夏, Níngxià)
• Terrain type: dry steppes, semi-deserts, saline and sandy soils
• Renowned area: licorice from Ordos (鄂尔多斯, È’ěrduōsī), in particular Hanggin Banner (杭锦旗, Hángjǐn Qí)

Licorice is drought- and salt-tolerant, thriving on poor sandy and slightly saline soils unsuitable for many crops. It is considered that the sharply continental climate, with its hot, dry summers and large diurnal temperature swings, promotes the accumulation of sweet and aromatic substances in the root. Historically, licorice from Ordos — the so-called 梁外甘草 (liángwài gāncǎo) — has been especially prized.

Wild licorice in China is protected: it is included in lists of protected wild plants, and its collection is regulated and requires permits — uncontrolled mass harvesting is prohibited due to steppe degradation. Therefore, an increasing amount of raw material comes from plantations, where the root is cultivated for several years before harvesting.

5. Production Technology:

• Harvest: predominantly in autumn, when the root contains the maximum of stored substances
• Primary processing: cleaning of soil and small rootlets, removal of bark where required
• Drying: air and sun drying to a stably dry state
• Cutting: into transverse slices, sorting by thickness and diameter

After digging, the roots are washed, trimmed, divided into sections if necessary, and dried. The dried raw material is cut into slices — usually thin ones for household infusion, so that they yield their sweetness more readily. The finished product is sorted: thicker, evenly cut slices with a bright yellow cross-section are valued more highly.

There also exists honey roasting (炙甘草, zhì gāncǎo) — the root is saturated with honey and heated; such a product is sweeter and milder, but that is apothecary processing rather than raw material for everyday infusion. We note separately the unscrupulous practice of sulfur fumigation for the sake of a “marketable” appearance — more on this in the section on counterfeits.

6. Organoleptic Characteristics:

• Color of raw material: brownish-brown on the outside; pale to deep yellow on the cut surface
• Aroma: faint, herbaceous-sweetish, specific
• Taste of infusion: distinctly sweet, coating, with a slight herbal aftertaste
• Body of infusion: soft, with a sensation of “deep” sweetness

The finished infusion is pale yellow and transparent. Its main distinguishing feature is a rich natural sweetness that lingers long in the mouth. Unlike sugar, this sweetness is perceived as “deep” and slightly licorice-like. When steeped too long or too hot, a slight bitterness and astringent note may appear.

7. Chemical Composition:

• Principal sweet component: glycyrrhizin (glycyrrhizic acid) — a triterpenoid saponin
• Flavonoids: liquiritin, isoliquiritin, liquiritigenin, and related compounds
• Species-specific substances: glabridin (more characteristic of Glycyrrhiza glabra), licochalcones (in particular, in Glycyrrhiza inflata)
• Other: polysaccharides, coumarins, trace volatile components

It is glycyrrhizin that is responsible for the characteristic sweetness: it is dozens of times sweeter than sucrose. Upon hydrolysis, glycyrrhetinic acid is cleaved from it. The flavonoids and chalcones contribute to the color and flavor nuances, and remain subjects of scientific interest. The composition depends markedly on the species, growing area, root age, and processing method.

8. Beneficial Properties:

• As commonly understood in Chinese household tradition: licorice is associated with the ideas of “clearing heat and relieving toxicity” (清热解毒, qīngrè jiědú) and “moistening the lungs, soothing cough” (润肺止咳, rùnfèi zhǐké)
• What science investigates: glycyrrhizin, glycyrrhetinic acid, and licorice flavonoids are studied for antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and other activity

It is important to note: licorice slices are a food product and a household infusion, not a medicine. The traditional views cited describe the cultural context of use, not proven therapeutic effects; health promises made at retail go beyond the scope of an encyclopedic article and should not be taken as medical advice.

At the same time, licorice carries widely recognized cautions that are appropriately stated neutrally. Regular consumption of large amounts of glycyrrhizin can disrupt water-salt balance — sodium and water retention, potassium loss, elevated blood pressure; this is described in the literature as “pseudoaldosteronism.” The product is therefore customarily consumed in moderation. Particular caution is generally associated with pregnancy, hypertension, kidney and heart disease, and the concomitant use of certain medications. International food authorities advise moderation in daily glycyrrhizin intake. Specific dosages and regimens are a matter for a specialist, not an encyclopedia.

9. Steeping:

• Amount: approximately 3–5 g of slices (several discs) per 250–300 ml of water
• Water: hot, close to boiling, about 95–100 °C
• Vessels: teapot, gaiwan, simple insulated mug, or thermos
• Time: 5–10 minutes for the first infusion
• Number of infusions: 2–4, as long as sweetness persists

Licorice slices yield their sweetness well in hot water. Due to their intense sweetness, the root is often steeped not alone but as a “sweetener” in herbal blends — with chrysanthemum, mint, goji berries, and the like. The infusion is drunk hot or cooled: in hot weather, a chilled licorice infusion is refreshing and quenches thirst well. Prolonged boiling makes the taste denser but may add bitterness, so for a mild beverage, steeping alone is sufficient.

10. Storage:

• Conditions: dry, cool, dark place
• Container: tightly sealed packaging or jar, away from extraneous odors
• Enemies of the raw material: moisture, direct light, pungent smells, kitchen heat
• Signs of spoilage: dampness, moldy odor, loss of sweetness

Dry licorice slices keep for a long time when stored properly. The main thing is to protect them from dampness: moistened raw material molds easily. Like most dry plant products, licorice is kept in a closed container, away from spices and anything odorous, as the porous root readily absorbs smells.

11. Price and Counterfeits:

• Wholesale price guide: in the order of approximately 56 ¥/kg for ordinary food-grade slices; premium grades are more expensive, low-grade raw material cheaper
• Signs of good raw material: yellow mealy cut surface, distinct radial pattern (菊花心, júhuā xīn), pronounced sweetness, characteristic odor
• What it is adulterated with: root already “spent” after industrial extraction of glycyrrhizin, coarse woody portions of root, mixing of species and grades

Price depends greatly on grade, slice diameter, licorice species, and region. The magnitude indicated should be understood as a guideline for wholesale ordinary raw material, not as a promise of retail price. A genuine quality slice is yellow on the cut surface, “mealy,” with a star-shaped pattern of rays; the taste is cleanly and strongly sweet.

The principal risk when purchasing is raw material from which the sweetness has already been partially extracted for industrial purposes: such slices look similar but are noticeably less sweet. An unnaturally pale, “bleached” appearance and an acidic, pungent smell should raise suspicion — these are possible signs of sulfur fumigation. Dark, crumbly slices, with a high proportion of bark and little yellow tissue, also indicate low quality.

12. Interesting Facts:

• Meaning of the Latin name: the genus name Glycyrrhiza is derived from the Greek words for “sweet” and “root,” i.e., literally “sweet root”; hence also the European word “licorice.”
• “Venerable Elder of Herbs”: the epithet 国老 (guólǎo) underscores licorice’s role as a “harmonizer” of a blend’s composition.
• A ubiquitous ingredient: licorice is included in a very large proportion of classical Chinese formulas — largely owing to its harmonizing function.
• Not just an infusion: the sweet root is used as a natural sweetener and flavoring — in hard candies, sauces, braised snacks in aromatic broth (卤味, lǔwèi), and confectionery.
• Sweetness without sugar: the main sweet component is glycyrrhizin, not sugar, which is why the taste is recognized as “licorice-like” rather than “sugary.”

In conclusion:

Licorice slices are a fine example of how ordinary raw material from a medicinal-food tradition became an independent everyday beverage. Formally, this is 代用茶 (dàiyòng chá), a “substitute tea,” not tea from Camellia sinensis, yet it carries behind it its own centuries-old culture — from the steppe plantations of Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang to a simple sweet infusion in a thermos. The product’s value lies in its natural sweetness, smoothness, and versatility: it is equally appropriate on its own and as a base for an herbal blend.

At the same time, respect for tradition does not displace a sober perspective: licorice is a food product, not a medicine, and its sweetness is provided by the biologically active glycyrrhizin, which calls for moderation. The sensible approach is to buy honestly cut, yellow raw material with a clear “chrysanthemum” cross-section, store it dry, and steep it in measure, leaving medical questions to specialists.

the teas described here are available from teamotea