100g Licorice Root Herbal Tea
Sweet character with light medicinal notes and anise-like finish. Excellent blended with Peppermint or Camomile.
Luxury Ingredients: Licorice root pieces
Small Batch Blended and Packed in: Canada
Tea(s) From: Egypt
Region(s): Fayyoum
Antioxidant Level: Low
Caffeine Content: None - Caffeine Free Herb
No matter how you slice it, 3000 years is a long time. Over the last three millennia, countless empires have risen and fallen, kingdoms have come and gone and governments have evolved. Still, through all the turmoil and triumph, licorice (Latin: Glycyrrhiza glabra) has held its own.
Our story of this amazing root begins in ancient Egypt, where it featured as the key ingredient in Mai sus, a beverage that was considered something of a cure-all by health practitioners of the era. The ancient Egyptians were evidently so taken with the root that large quantities were found in King Tut's tomb, left there in order to fortify his spirit in the next realm.
From Egypt, licorice spread to India, where love of the root took an, ahem, sexual turn. Ancient Hindu priests believed that when prepared with milk and sugar, licorice had the power to increase sexual vigor. (This might have something to do with the lasting impression left by the Kama Sutra.) In more recent history, it has been reported that Napoleon Bonaparte on his campaigns through Europe chewed licorice constantly. This, in keeping with the traditions of an earlier general, Greece's Alexander the Great who believed the root gave his troops the stamina and endurance they needed on long marches.
These days, thanks to modern science, we know that licorice has the chops to back up the beliefs of the ancients. The plant is considered to be one of the most biologically active in the world. It is a source of magnesium and silica, and as such is valued by natural health practitioners as a natural treatment for stomach ailments.
Here at Metro Tea, we value Licorice as the base for amazing herbal teas! This organic version, grown and produced in Turkey is among the finest to be found anywhere. Use it these slightly sweet pieces a self-brewing tisane, or as a flavorful blending component in your own custom blends. What will the next 3000 years of Licorice usage bring? We'll leave that up to you.
