What are the known traditional, historical, and cultural uses of licorice?

    Written by:
    Daryl Nault

    Fact-checked

    by:

    Katie Jantz, Conni Covington
    Last Updated: April 23, 2025

    Licorice has a long history of medicinal use across various ancient cultures, including those in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and it is integral to Traditional Chinese Medicine for treating various health conditions. Additionally, 28 Indigenous peoples in the Americas have used licorice for over 20 ailments, most commonly for throat relief, coughs, and toothaches.

    The earliest documented uses of licorice for medicinal purposes can be traced back to ancient cultures spanning the Middle East (Assyria, Egypt) to Southeast Asia (China, India).[1] Licorice is considered essential to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), where it is used for conditions of the cardiorespiratory, endocrine, and digestive systems. The relative ubiquity of licorice means it has been used on most continents of the world as a traditional medicine for a wide range of uses all throughout the body with both topical and systemic applications.[2][1][3][4][5]

    Twenty-eight different First Nations peoples of the Americas (notably the Dakota, Cheyenne, Blackfoot and Sioux) are known to have used licorice in traditional healing for over 20 different conditions and ailments. The most commonly cited uses for licorice among First Nations peoples include use as a throat aid, cough medicine, and toothache remedy.[6]