| Chinese name |
甘草 |
| Pinyin name |
Gan Cao |
| Latin name |
Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma |
| English name |
Root Of Ural Licorice |
| Property |
Neutral |
| Flavor |
Sweet |
| Meridian affinity |
Heart, lung, spleen, stomach |
| Include |
National Chinese Herbal Medicine,Pharmacopoeia of the People 's Republic of China ( 2020 Edition ) |
| TCM type |
Tonic medicines |
| Family |
Leguminosae |
| Medicinal part |
Root,Rhizome |
| Efficacy |
Strengthens spleen, tonifies qi, clears heat, detoxifies, transforms phlegm, stops cough, relieves pain, harmonizes other herbs. |
| Standard |
Licorice with skin is best when the outer skin is fine and tight, with wrinkles, reddish-brown, firm, sufficiently powdery, and the cross-section is yellowish-white; second best when the outer skin is rough, gray-brown, loose, with less powderiness, and the cross-section is deep yellow; not suitable for medicinal use if the outer skin is brown-black, hard, with a brown-yellow cross-section, and bitter taste. Powdered licorice is better than licorice with skin. |
| Acquisition time |
Collected in the autumn. |
| Herb alias name |
美草,蜜甘（《本经》），蜜草,蕗草（《别录》），国老（陶弘景），灵通（《记事珠》），粉草（《群芳谱》），甜草（《中国药植志》），甜根子（《中药志》），棒草（《黑龙江中药》）。 |
| Summary |
中药甘草，别名为美草，蜜甘（《本经》），蜜草，蕗草（《别录》），国老（陶弘景），灵通（《记事珠》），粉草（《群芳谱》），甜草（《中国药植志》），甜根子（《中药志》），棒草（《黑龙江中药》）。性平，味甘，属豆科，药用部位为根，根状茎，秋季采收。 主要功效为补脾益气、清热解毒、祛痰止咳、缓急止痛、调和诸药。 |
