Licorice can.
Licorice come from the root of the plant Glycyrrhiza glabra. It's been used for centuries as a flavoring, sweetener, and medicine.
Though anise and fennel taste like licorice, they are unrelated.
The main compound responsible for licorice's distinct flavor and pharmaceutical effects is glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin is 50 times as sweet as table sugar. Besides being used in drinks, teas and candies, licorice is also added to tobacco products.
Licorice root extract has been studied in the use of a wide variety of illnesses, including:
Apparently, a British woman had to be hospitalized for licorice poisoning after consuming 200 grams of candy per day. That's a 48 black jellybean-per-day habit! Man. I knew there was a reason why I avoided those black jellybeans. And it's not all about those gunky black teeth either.
Happy Halloween everyone. Hope it doesn't land you in the hospital!
The main compound responsible for licorice's distinct flavor and pharmaceutical effects is glycyrrhizin. Glycyrrhizin is 50 times as sweet as table sugar. Besides being used in drinks, teas and candies, licorice is also added to tobacco products.
Licorice root extract has been studied in the use of a wide variety of illnesses, including:
- viral hepatitis
- Kaposi's sarcoma
- stomach and mouth ulcers
- bowel conditions, such s Crohn's disease and irritable bowel
- water retention and swelling
- low potassium levels
- heart failure
- elevated blood pressures
Apparently, a British woman had to be hospitalized for licorice poisoning after consuming 200 grams of candy per day. That's a 48 black jellybean-per-day habit! Man. I knew there was a reason why I avoided those black jellybeans. And it's not all about those gunky black teeth either.
Happy Halloween everyone. Hope it doesn't land you in the hospital!
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58 comments:
I've never been a fan, thank goodness.
Man, I never eat the black jelly beans! :)
Ugh, I really dislike the licorice flavour. Maybe I'll use it to poison a book character one day -- that seems like a good use for it!
Honestly, I never would have guessed.
I'm really like the new skin, this morning, Lyd. Nice look.
Happy Hallowe'en, my dear!
I eat licorice when I do road trips to keep me happy and awake. But it has to be the real stuff, not Twizzlers.
Glad I don't each much licorice. That was a good choice for Halloween.
Black licorice gives me the heebies jeebies! UGH!
Wow, I have so got to tell my mother this. She LOVES black licorice! Thanks Lydia.
Thank goodness I never liked black licorice. That was my sister's thing. I'll stick with the candy corns. ;o)
It only takes twelve? That's not many!
I hate black licorice. Yuck!!!! Too bad the good benefits don't count for Twizzlers. (They don't, right?).
I don't mind a bit of fennel or anise, but it can't be overdone. I had licorice root tea once, and never again.
What a great, timely post! Nicely done. I didn't realize that licorice, anise, and fennel weren't related. How can they have such similar flavors?
-Vicki
Good to know! Love to figure out a way to use this new found knowledge...
Love the "licorice can kill" theme. I have all sorts of stories about demented candy makers in mind now. . .
Woah, that lady really liked her licorice! I've never been a big fan of black licorice and I guess that's a good thing! happy Halloween!
I'm glad that I've never liked Licorace. Now if Reese's Peanut Buttercups have a such a horrible side effect then I'd be in trouble...
Happy Halloween!
Oh yikes! I'm glad I never eat licorie jellybeans, because once I start eating, I don't think I'd be able to stop at 12.
For the first time, I knew about one of her highlighted remedies. lol
I feel so educated, all of a sudden.
Happy Halloween!
Ugh, I can't stand licorice--thank goodness, apparently! How strange that you can get licorice poisoning!
LOL! I love licorice. But I'm avoiding sugar, so haven't eaten it in ages.
Whoa, this is crazy stuff! No way am I eating the black jelly beans!
Interesting stuff! I had heard about its medicinal properties but never gave it much thought. I'm more of a red licorice kind of gal anyway. :)
Thanks for the info!
Fascinating! I remember Gripe Water for colic in babies from when we lived in England many years ago. Licorice-based. A little goes a long way, I guess, but it did seem to work. Scary.
One day I ate so much licorice I was actually able to pronounce the name: "Glycyrrhiza glabra".
Holy Moly, now that's wild. I couldn't stand black licorice until my last pregnancy, when I craved it like crazy - and now I like it. Thanks for the warning.
I swear, Dr. K, you always come out with the most unexpected posts! And I LOVE them!!! :D *snort*
who knew those pesky black jellybeans were so potent. I can't stand them myself...
Happy Halloween!!! :o) <3
Wow, I had no idea you could overdose on black licorice jelly beans! Good thing I don't like them, LOL!
Wow. It's a good thing I hate black licorice. Is it the same for the red kind?
I LOVE BLACK LIQUORICE!!! But I don't think I've ever eaten so much in a day - phew - just as well. Thank you lovely Lydia for the info!! Definitely a new ond for me!!
The thing is I find one or two are quite potent so how anyone can eat more than two at the most...! Yikes!
Take care
x
Hey Ghenet,
No it's only the black ones that specifically contain licorice root extract. No worry with those red Twizzlers!
I love licorice. The blacker the better. Oh, and raspberry flavored is good too. I like that it's good for me!
Holy crap! I knew those black jellybeans were evil!
I love licorice, but not if it has the corn syrup in it. Candy used to taste much better when I was a youngster.
No idea licorice was so dangerous. Good thing I don't like black licorice at all. Tried it once and was baffled by how popular it was. The only licorice I like is Red Vines. :P
Happy Halloween!
I'll warn the kids when I give them candy tonight >:)
Cold As Heaven
I like black licorice, but not in volume...a taste here or there does me fine...and it appears that is a good thing.
I never liked licorice and now I can say "Yes, it really will kill me!"
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Thanks for share.
I'm safe. I like my candy brown, not black (as in chocolate).
Who would have thought that candy can be so tricky?
I'll be okay to stuff my face then, I hate licorice! Great how you mixed a medical fact in with Halloween. Have a good one!
Wow! Licorice is dangerous. A "treat" for a lot of people in the Netherlands is salted black licorice. Hmm. I only ever have a piece or two at a time, but some people wolf them down. I wonder how many Dutch hospitals see cases of licorice poisoning.
Glad I don't like licorice.
Lydia, Thanks for sharing. I've actually used a licorice based night cream at one time - supposed to have had skin clarifying properties. Any insight?
I do like licorice a lot, but I don't eat as much as I used to. Why didn't I end up in the hospital when I was a kid? I used to eat tons of the stuff. I have heard about the medicinal properties.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Please see my guest post at:
So You Want to be a Writer?
Wow. I was never a fan and so now I have more reason to stay away from it. ;)
Wow! Who knew? Great post, Lydia! :)
That is so interesting! I actually love black jelly beans, those and the red ones are the only ones I eat. I once bought a bag of black-only jelly beans, but that got to be too much for me real fast. Sounds like it was a good thing!
Thanks for the info. I had read about licorice in Dahl's books and then in Rowlings.
I couldn't even eat one black jelly bean.
Ew, black licorice is nasty anyway. No big loss! Wow, good to know, though. Potent stuff!
I like strawberry licorice. However, you have now scared me away from all licorice altogether. Oh well, if any type of sweet is going to put me in the hospital it might as well be chocolate. Hope you had a Happy Halloween, Lydia. :)
Well, I'm safe, since I do not like the taste of licorice myself. But licorice poisoning? Who knew?
The black jelly beans are my favorite, but after reading about this here, and in the news last weekend, I think I'll back off. Haha!
I've always hated those black jellybeans. I gave them to the ghost of H P Lovecraft to give to the Old Ones. Next to munching human beings, Old Ones like black jelly beans the best! Who knew?
Now I know why I've never liked black licorice. Great post! Who knew?
I nearly killed myself with chewing the root sticks and I'm sure that its liquorice that is the culprit in so much obesity as it is used as a sweetener and flavouring in many popular foods.
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