Süstemaatiline kuuluvus (APG IV)
Riik: Taimed (Plantae)
Klaad: Soontaimed (Tracheophyta)
Klaad: Katteseemnetaimed (Angiospermae)
Klaad: Päriskaheidulehelised (Eudicotyledonae)
Selts: Oalaadsed (Fabales)
Sugukond: Liblikõielised (Fabaceae)
Perekond: Lagrits (Glycyrrhiza)
Liik:  Lagritsa-magusjuur - Glycyrrhiza glabra L.

Botaaniline kirjeldus
Lagrits on mitmeaastane liblikõieline rohttaim, mille varre kõrgus ulatub 0,5–1,5 meetrini. Vars on aluselt puitunud, tihedalt soomuseline ning näärmetega punkteeritud. Maaaluse osa moodustab tihe risoomistik. Lehed on paaritult sulgjad, 7–15 cm pikkused, koosnedes 9–17 ovaalsest kuni pikliku-lantsetja või elliptilise kujuga lehekesest, mille mõõtmed on 1,7–4,0 cm pikkust ja 0,8–2,0 cm laiust. Lehtede alumine külg on tihedalt soomuseline, näärmetega punkteeritud ja rood pealt kaetud karvadega, pealmine külg on enamasti paljas või karvane. Kõrglehed on varisevad, lineaarsed, 1–2 mm pikad.

Õisik on hõre, rippuv, paljuõieline kobar. Liblikjad õied on 0,8–1,2 cm pikad, kaheli õiekattega, viietised. Tupp liitlehine, kellukakujuline, 5–7 mm pikkune ja viie tipmega, millest ülemised kaks on enamasti ühendunud.  Kroonlehed on lillad või heledad valkjassinised, 9–12 mm pikad, puri ovaalne või piklik, 1–1,1 cm pikkune, alusel kinnitunud, tiivad 8–9 mm pikad, laevuke sirge, 7–8 mm pikkune; munasari on paljas. Vili on piklik, lame, paljas või hõredalt karvane, 2–3 cm pikk kaun, mis sisaldab 2–8 tumedat rohelist, siledat seemet, millest igaüks on umbes 2 mm läbimõõduga. [1,2,6]

Leviala
Looduslikult on lagrits levinud Vahemere äärsetes maades, Mongoolias ja Pakistanis. Taime kasvatatakse kultuurina laialdaselt Euroopa ja Aasia lõunaosas. Eestis kasvab üksnes kultuurtaimena. [1,6]

Toime ja kasutamine
Lagritsajuures leidub triterpenoide, polüfenoole ja polüsahhariide. Flavonoidid annavad juurele selle kollase värvi. Peamine glükosiid, glütsürrisiin, esineb juures 7–10% ulatuses, olenevalt kasvatusviisidest. Lagritsajuurest leitud isoflaveen glabreen ja isoflavan glabridiin on fütoöstrogeenid. Lagritsajuure lõhn tuleneb keerulisest ja muutlikust ühendite kombinatsioonist, millest anetool moodustab umbes 3% kõigist lenduvatest ainetest. Suur osa lagritsa magususest tuleb glütsürrisiinist, mis on 30–50 korda magusam kui suhkur. Selle magusus erineb suhkru omast, olles vähem hetkeline, hapukam ja kestvam. [3,4]

Lagrits on köhavastane taim ja teda kasutatakse rögalahtistina köha ja bronhiidi korral ning toetava vahendina kopsupõletiku puhul. Taim toimib haavandtõve korral, vähendab maonõre soolhappe sisaldust. Toimib nõrga lahtistina kroonilise kõhukinnisuse puhul. Glütsürrisiinhape mõjub allergiavastaselt ja vererõhku alandavalt, parandab ka maohaavandeid ning lõõgastab spasme. Droog aitab siduda ning organismist väljutada mõningaid mürgiseid ühendeid, seepärast soovitatakse seda mürgistuste järelraviks. [1,5] 

Enim kasutatakse lagritsa-magusjuure juure droogi. Juurte varumise aeg oleneb kliimast. Juuri kogutakse labidate, kõblaste või atradega. Peajuur tungib üsna sügavale. EP järgi koosneb droog lagritsa-magusjuure kuivatatud, kooritud või koorimata, tükeldatud või tükeldamata juurtest ning peab sisaldama vähemalt 4% glütsürrisiinhapet. [1]

Kasutatud allikad
1. Raal, A. (2010). Maailma ravimtaimede entsüklopeedia. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus.
2. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, October 12). licorice. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/plant/licorice
3. Wikipedia contributors. (2023, November 3). Liquorice. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:58, November 20, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liquorice&oldid=1183325697
4. Pastorino, G., Cornara, L., Soares, S., Rodrigues, F., & Oliveira, M. B. P. P. (2018). Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): A phytochemical and pharmacological review. Phytotherapy research : PTR, 32(12), 2323–2339. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6178
5. Hasan, M. K., Ara, I., Mondal, M. S. A., & Kabir, Y. (2021). Phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and potential health benefits of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Heliyon, 7(6), e07240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07240
6. Lim T. K. (2015). Glycyrrhiza glabra. Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 10, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs, 354–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7276-1_18

Classification (APG IV)
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Genus: Glycyrrhiza 
Species: Liquorice - Glycyrrhiza glabra L.

Botanical Description
Liquorice is a perennial herbaceous legume with a stem height ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 meters. The stem is woody at the base, densely scaly, and punctuated with glands. Its underground system consists of a dense rhizome network. The leaves are pinnately compound, 7–15 cm long, and composed of 9–17 oval to lanceolate or elliptical leaflets, measuring 1.7–4.0 cm in length and 0.8–2.0 cm in width. The undersides of the leaves are densely scaly, gland-punctured, and veined, with hairs on the surface, while the upper side is generally smooth or slightly hairy. The stipules are deciduous, linear, and 1–2 mm long.

The inflorescence is a loose, pendulous, many-flowered raceme. The papilionaceous flowers are 0.8–1.2 cm long, with a bilayered perianth and pentamerous structure. The calyx is campanulate, 5–7 mm long, and features five lobes, with the upper two often fused. The petals are purple to pale bluish-white, measuring 9–12 mm in length. The standard (vexillum) is oval or oblong, 1–1.1 cm long, attached at the base; the wings (alae) are 8–9 mm long, and the keel (carina) is straight and 7–8 mm long. The ovary is glabrous. The fruit is a pod, elongated, flat, glabrous or sparsely hairy, 2–3 cm long, containing 2–8 dark green, smooth seeds, each about 2 mm in diameter. [1,2,6]

Habitat
Liquorice is naturally distributed in the Mediterranean region, Mongolia, and Pakistan. It is widely cultivated in southern Europe and Asia. In Estonia, it is grown only as a cultivated plant. [1,6]

Properties and Uses
Liquorice root contains triterpenoids, polyphenols, and polysaccharides. Flavonoids give the root its yellow color. The primary glycoside, glycyrrhizin, constitutes 7–10% of the root, depending on cultivation practices. Isoflavene glabridin and isoflavan glabrene in licorice root are phytoestrogens. The scent of liquorice root derives from a complex and variable combination of compounds, with anethole accounting for about 3% of all volatile substances. Much of the sweetness of licorice comes from glycyrrhizin, which is 30–50 times sweeter than sugar. Its sweetness differs from sugar's, being less immediate, more tart, and longer-lasting. [3,4]

Liquorice is an antitussive herb used as an expectorant for coughs, bronchitis, and supportive therapy for pneumonia. It is effective in peptic ulcer treatment by reducing hydrochloric acid in gastric juice. It acts as a mild laxative for chronic constipation. Glycyrrhizin has anti-allergic, blood pressure-lowering, anti-ulcer, and antispasmodic effects. The herb binds and removes certain toxic compounds from the body, making it recommended for post-toxicity treatments. [1,5]

The most commonly used part of licorice is the root. The harvesting time for roots depends on the climate. Roots are collected using shovels, hoes, or plows. The main root penetrates deep into the soil. According to the European Pharmacopoeia, licorice root consists of dried, peeled or unpeeled, cut or uncut roots and must contain at least 4% glycyrrhizic acid. [1]

References
1. Raal, A. (2010). Maailma ravimtaimede entsüklopeedia. Tallinn: Eesti Entsüklopeediakirjastus.
2. Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2023, October 12). Licorice. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/plant/licorice
3. Wikipedia contributors. (2023, November 3). Liquorice. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 06:58, November 20, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Liquorice&oldid=1183325697
4. Pastorino, G., Cornara, L., Soares, S., Rodrigues, F., & Oliveira, M. B. P. P. (2018). Liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra): A phytochemical and pharmacological review. Phytotherapy research: PTR, 32(12), 2323–2339. https://doi.org/10.1002/ptr.6178
5. Hasan, M. K., Ara, I., Mondal, M. S. A., & Kabir, Y. (2021). Phytochemistry, pharmacological activity, and potential health benefits of Glycyrrhiza glabra. Heliyon, 7(6), e07240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e07240
6. Lim, T. K. (2015). Glycyrrhiza glabra. Edible Medicinal and Non-Medicinal Plants: Volume 10, Modified Stems, Roots, Bulbs, 354–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-7276-1_18