Liquorice has been selected as “Medicinal plant of the year 2012” because of its paramount importance to human well-being world-wide. 

“Liquorice is special because it can quickly soothe sore throats and coughs and was used centuries ago to treat coughing, hoarseness and asthma by Ancient Greek and Egyptian physicians,” said Professor Johannes Mayer, an expert on the history of medicinal botany at the University of Würzburg. 

According to the mediaeval German nun, Hildegard von Bingen, or Saint Hildegard, liquorice can help lift peoples’ moods and has anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antispasmodic actions, and can also protect mucous membranes. 

The liquorice plant is a woody shrub native from the Mediterranean to East Asia, the Americas and Australia, and grows up to a metre tall and is a member of the Fabaceae (pea family). 

It is widely cultivated for its medicinal properties, and also for use in beverages. 

Only the root is utilized, from which a wide variety of compounds—400 to date—have been isolated. Among the most important is glycyrrhizin, a chemical that possesses almost 50 times the sweetening   

liquorice is used as an important ingredient “gan cao” in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), while in Germany, Europe’s major consumer and trader in medicinal plants, around 500 tonnes of liquorice are imported each year, 100 of them consumed domestically in medicinal teas. 

The root is also used in confectionary and in many herbal liqueurs. In Japan, liquorice is used mainly in medicine although also as an ingredient of cosmetics.

“The healing properties of liquorice make it a key constituent of any natural pharmacy,” said Susanne Honnef, a conservation expert at WWF Germany. 

“In recent years, the German public has become increasingly aware of the intrinsic value of natural medicines, and as a result the medicinal plant trade has experienced a true renaissance.” 

“However, this can place pressure on wild plant populations, placing them in danger of over-exploitation.” 

WWF and TRAFFIC are trying to counteract such pressures, and in 2010 helped introduce the FairWild Standard, an international standard to ensure the wild collection of medicinal and other plants is carried out sustainably. 

The FairWild Standard combines strict rules to ensure environmentally sound, socially just and economically sustainable collection of wild plant resources, and serves as a basis for certification of plant products and as a basis for the development of laws and regulations governing their trade. 

“The FairWIld Standard was a major step forward in securing the sustainability of wild plant products and consumers can purchase FairWild certified products with confidence,” said Roland Melisch, Programme Director with TRAFFIC. 

“As well as helping producers and to develop strategies to ensure sustainable use of resources, those helping implement the FairWild Standard are also committed to ensuring the benefits of trade are distributed fairly, right down to the low-earner gatherers, who are often those who most heavily depend on the income for their livelihoods

                                     

• Yastimadhu is not a native of India, It grows wild in middle east and European countries as a wild shrub. But since ancient it has been used in Ayurveda as an important remedy. It is added to the group of Jivaniya ( Vitalizer), Besides this it is considered to alleviate Pitta in a body. Now a days it is being cultivated in Kashmir and some high altitude areas of India. I have posted these photos to supplement a posting of Alka Mohantyon this plant. For details plz see that posting.
  
  
• the name'Yastimmadhu' appears to be of Sanskrit origin,why it should not be treated as an ancient vedic plant? ..just for comment's sake ..
  
  
• It has been in use in Ayurveda since ancient time and was being imported from Iraq, Iran and other middle east countries. So it has an Indian name. but till today today it is not a native of India and nowhere it is found in wild. Like this one Akarkara has been added to Ayurveda which is a good tonic for nerves and heart. That has come with the muslim Unani physicians in Middle age with the muslim rulers. But the use of Unani and Ayurveda differs as per their own theory
• . Pahela darja me Garam (In first stage Hot in potency)
  Dusra darja me Thanda (In second stage cooling in potency)
  I am not aware of this theory properly. But as I find now a days most of the Hakims are busy making aphrodisiacs. About their performance on other vital diseases I don't have knowledge.
• the Arabs introduced the Unani system of medicine and soon it caught the attention of the masses. The Delhi Sultans, the Khiljis, the
  Tuglaqs and the Mughal emperors provided state patronage to the
  Scholars……….
  According to the principles of Unani medicine, disease is a natural
  process, its symptoms are the reactions of the body to the disease, and the primary function of the Unani physician is to aid the natural forces of the body. Unani medicine is based on the ‘Humoral Theory’, which presupposes the presence of four Humors - Dam (blood), Balghum(phlegm), Safra (yellow bile) and Sauda (black bile) - in the body……Various types of treatment are employed in Unani system. These include regimental therapy (Ilaj-bit-Tadbeer), dietotherapy (Ilaj-bit-ghiza), pharmacotherapy (Ilaj-bit-Dawa) and surgery (Jarahat). The regimental therapy comprises venesection, cupping, diaphoresis, diuresis, Turkish bath, massage, cauterization, purging, emesis, exercise, leeching, etc….........
  Hakims: These are people, who have gained professional knowledge
  either institutionally, or otherwise, and impart treatment based on Unani therapy. The practitioners of Unani Medicine are scattered all across the country forming an integral part of the national health care delivery system. As on January 1999, the estimated number of registered Unani practitioners in India was approximately 40748 (source: Indian system of medicine and Homeopathy in India, 1998). Out of these, more than half (i.e. 21205) are non-institutionally qualified.
• Unani is also one traditional healing system, too ancient and must be having a treasure of wisdom. Govt. of India has already recognised it as a traditional therapy of India and kept it under AYUSH dept.(Dept. of Ayurveda, Unani ,Siddha and Homeopathy) Now naturopathy has been added to these four traditional system of therapies making the total 5