Licorice as a sexual tonic in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Licorice is part of our world traditional medical history. In addition to being an important herbal remedy in traditional Western medicine, it has been used in both Indian Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM):

1. The Roman legions used licorice to help increase stamina and endurance. They also used it because its water retention properties helped them survive longer without water.

2. In Ayurvedic medicine, licorice is used alone and in combination with ginger and/or cardamom as a general tonic in addition to its use for the treatment of many of the conditions mentioned above. Combined with milk, it is believed to be a sexual tonic.

3. Licorice is considered a "first class" medicine in TCM because it helps preserve life.

Why drink licorice tea? Not only is it almost universally believed to be one of nature's best medicines, it tastes delicious. If you like sweet beverages, but want to wean yourself off sugar, substitute a cup of licorice tea for a sugar-sweetened beverage or add a little licorice root to your favourite herbal blend. Licorice contains a natural sweetener, glycyrrhizin, which is 50 times as sweet as sucrose. Take care, though, and limit your intake of licorice to one or two cups per day and if you want to use it for medicinal purposes, use it under supervision of a health care professional. There is such a thing as "too much of a good thing" and licorice can have unwanted side effects if overused.