Why we’re wild about licorice

Sweet, earthy and delicious, licorice harmonises the perfect cup of tea. At Pukka we love it so much that we’ve developed an organic and FairWild Three Licorice tea to celebrate the wonders of this sweet root.

The word licorice (or liquorice as it’s sometimes spelled) is derived from the Greek word ‘glukurrhiza’ meaning sweet root. This magical plant not only has 50 times the natural sweetness of refined sugar with none of the calories, it’s also a herb that’s renowned for its calming and soothing properties. Grown in sandy soils, its creeping roots spread in every direction drawing nutrients from deep within the earth. It’s traditionally known and used as a medicine in Ayurveda for rejuvenation.

At Pukka we only use the whole roots of certified organic licorice that meet the highest quality standards. Our licorice comes from  projects in Khazakstan and Spain, helping to ensure the sustainable use of wild-collected ingredients whilst giving a fair deal for all those involved in collecting it. It makes an incredible organic herb even more special.

A bit like the effect of putting a pinch of salt in your food to bring out the best flavours, licorice also makes a formula more effective. Because of this unique quality, it’s considered to enhance the power of synergy between different herbs in a blend and is used in many classic formulas as a harmoniser. So as well as our new , we also  include it in 28 of our 36 organic herbal teas as well as our Vitalise, , LifeKind, Active 35 Oil and Wholistic Triphala remedies.

So the next time you think licorice is going to look like, act like or indeed taste like that sugary black sweet you knew from childhood - think again. You may well discover something to go wild about too.

Watch our co-founder and Master Herbsmith Seb Pole tell us why he loves licorice, and why we have chosen it to enhance the blends of a lot of our teas