State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Dao-di Herbs, National Resource Center for Chinese Materia Medica, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, 100700, Beijing, China; Key Laboratory of Biology and Cultivation of Herb Medicine, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing, 100700, Beijing, China; Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 100193, Beijing, China.
School of Chinese Pharmacy, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, 100102, Beijing, China.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2023 Jan 30;301:115823. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115823. Epub 2022 Oct 8.
Glycyrrizae Radix et Rhizoma has various effects, including tonifying the spleen and qi, clearing heat and toxic substances, eliminating phlegm, relieving cough and pain, and harmonizing the effects of other medicines. It is widely used in the pharmaceutical and food industries.
This review systematically collates the identification of Glycyrrhiza Linn. species with medicinal value and their distributions. The morphological and genetic characteristics, distribution, quantity of reserves in China, suitable environment, and area of suitable habitat of important medicinal species were reviewed. The effects of the natural environment and cultivation management (water and nutrients) on the growth and quality of licorice were reviewed. The aim is to make people have a systematic understanding of the status of medicinal plant resources of the G. Linn., and understand the natural and human factors that affect its quality, so as to provide help for the collection of resources of the important medicinal licorice and the human control of its quality in the future.
We conducted extensive searches of the primary literature, master's and doctoral theses, and pharmacopeias of many countries using PubMed, Geenmedical, CNKI, Web of Science, SCI-hub and other databases. The keywords used in searches included "classification of Glycyrrhiza," "medicinal Glycyrrhiza," "distribution of Glycyrrhiza," and "suitable environment for Glycyrrhiza" The results of research conducted by our research group on the morphological and genetic characteristics, natural distribution, and effects of artificial regulation on the growth and quality of licorice were summarized.
There are approximately 29 species of G. Linn. worldwide, including 15 species with medicinal value. These species occur on all continents except Antarctica across 41 countries. Only one licorice is recorded in Indian pharmacopoia,two species are recorded in US and Japanese pharmacopoeias,and three species are recorded in most national pharmacopoeias: G. glabra Linn., G. uralensis Fisch. and G. inflata Batalin. These three medicinal licorice species are mainly distributed in Eurasia, especially Central Asia. The main morphological differences between these three medicinal licorice species are in the leaves, inflorescences, pods, and seeds, and they can be distinguished by ITS and psbA-trnH sequences. The reserves of wild licorice in China have decreased annually to 1.04 million(t) in 2010. The cultivation area of G. uralensis Fisch in China is currently approximately 26,900 hm. Soil conditions have a substantial effect on the yield and quality of G. uralensis Fisch, especially water and nutrients. Appropriate irrigation and fertilization measures can enhance the quality of G. uralensis Fisch.
G. Linn. species and their natural distributions were summarized. The morphology, genetic characteristics, suitable environment, and area of suitable habitat of three medicinal licorice species collected in major countries were described. The main environmental conditions and cultivation measures affecting their growth and medicinal quality were determined. This article provides a comprehensive review on G. Linn. medicinal plant resources to enhance the future use of these resources.
甘草具有多种功效，包括补脾益气、清热解毒、祛痰止咳、止痛调和药性等。它在医药和食品工业中得到广泛应用。
本综述系统地整理了具有药用价值的甘草属物种的鉴定及其分布。综述了重要药用物种的形态和遗传特征、分布、中国的储量、适宜环境、适宜生境面积。综述了自然环境和栽培管理（水和养分）对甘草生长和质量的影响。目的是使人们对甘草药用植物资源的现状有一个系统的了解，并了解影响其质量的自然和人为因素，以便为今后甘草重要药用资源的采集和人类对其质量的控制提供帮助。
我们使用 PubMed、Geenmedical、CNKI、Web of Science、SCI-hub 等数据库，对主要文献、硕士和博士论文以及许多国家的药典进行了广泛的搜索。搜索中使用的关键词包括“甘草分类”、“药用甘草”、“甘草分布”和“甘草适宜环境”。总结了我们研究小组对甘草形态和遗传特征、自然分布以及人工调控对其生长和质量影响的研究结果。
全世界约有 29 种甘草属植物，其中有 15 种具有药用价值。这些物种分布在除南极洲以外的各大洲的 41 个国家。印度药典只记录了一种甘草，美国和日本药典各记录了两种，大多数国家药典都记录了三种：甘草、胀果甘草和光果甘草。这三种药用甘草主要分布在欧亚大陆，特别是中亚。这三种药用甘草的主要形态差异在于叶片、花序、豆荚和种子，可通过 ITS 和 psbA-trnH 序列进行区分。中国野生甘草储量从 2010 年的 104 万吨逐年减少。中国胀果甘草的种植面积目前约为 26900 公顷。土壤条件对胀果甘草的产量和质量有很大影响，特别是水和养分。适当的灌溉和施肥措施可以提高胀果甘草的质量。
总结了甘草属植物的种类及其分布。描述了主要国家收集的三种药用甘草的形态、遗传特征、适宜环境和适宜生境面积。确定了影响其生长和药用品质的主要环境条件和栽培措施。本文对甘草药用植物资源进行了全面综述，以增强对这些资源的未来利用。
