Athimadhuram is Glycyrrhiza glabra, liquorice — the sweet root Hindi shops call mulethi and Sanskrit lists call yaṣṭimadhu. It is not Indian sarsaparilla (nannari), and it is not a candy stick you should suck through a blood-pressure clinic.
- Botanical name
- Glycyrrhiza glabra L.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Tamil
- Athimadhuram
- Hindi
- Mulethi
- Sanskrit
- Yaṣṭimadhu
- Parts used
- Root and stolon
- Habit
- Perennial nitrogen-fixing herb with a sweet woody root
- Last updated
- 2026-10-30
How to recognise Athimadhuram
Linnaeus published Glycyrrhiza glabra. The family is Fabaceae. It is a perennial with pinnate leaves, pale pea-flowers, and a deep system of roots and stolons that taste persistently sweet.
The dried root is the trade object: long, fibrous, yellow-tan inside, sweet then slightly bitter. Chinese G. uralensis and other Glycyrrhiza species enter the same global trade. A packet that only says “licorice” has not named the species.
Tamil athimadhuram, Hindi mulethi and Sanskrit yaṣṭimadhu are the names when the seller means this sweet root. Hemidesmus (nannari) is a different family and a different smell; do not let “sweet root” collapse them.
Peeled and unpeeled grades exist. Powder is the easiest place for cheaper sweet woods to hide.
A good stick splinters and tastes sweet.
Peeled yellow sticks and dark unpeeled sticks can be the same species. Peel is a mill choice. Species is a Latin name.
Indian shops often sell imported root. A “Himalayan mulethi” story is a reason to ask for the country and the Glycyrrhiza species, not a reason to pay more.
Traditional use of Athimadhuram
Ayurveda and Siddha
Yaṣṭimadhu / athimadhuram is a sweet, demulcent root in those lists. Historical “throat” headings are not a modern ENT claim.
Ayurvedic and Siddha headings
Mediterranean and European food
The same species is a confectionery and flavouring plant. Candy and a decoction are different strengths of the same chemistry.
European culinary and pharmacognosy tradition
Modern notes on Athimadhuram
Glycyrrhizin is the saponin that tastes sweet and that can affect potassium and blood pressure when intake is high. That is a well-described caution, not a marketing footnote.
DGL (deglycyrrhizinated) products are a different article and should say so on the label.
Confectionery liquorice and a vaithiyar’s athimadhuram kashayam share a plant and do not share a dose. Candy binges are how the potassium problem often starts in countries where the sweet is common.
Athimadhuram safety
Daily strong decoctions and candy binges are how the potassium and blood-pressure problem shows up.
People with high blood pressure, low potassium, kidney or heart disease, and people who are pregnant, should not start liquorice-root regimes from a shop story.
It can interact with several medicines. A clinician conversation is the adult path if someone already swallows a lot of it.
Ecology and sourcing
Root harvest is a farm or steppe story, not a Tamil backyard. Most athimadhuram in a Chennai shop travelled.
Related plants
Also in Fabaceae
Questions about Athimadhuram
Is athimadhuram the same as nannari?
No. Athimadhuram is Glycyrrhiza glabra. Nannari is Hemidesmus indicus. Both are “sweet” roots in shops; they are different families.
Why do blood-pressure leaflets mention liquorice?
Because glycyrrhizin can affect potassium and blood pressure when intake is high. That is a documented caution.
Sources
- Glycyrrhiza glabra L. — Plants of the World Online, Kew (search) (accessed 2026)
- Wikidata item Q257106 (Glycyrrhiza glabra)
Educational page about a plant. It is not medical advice, not a diagnosis, and not an offer to sell. Traditional use is historical. If you need care, ask a licensed clinician. Questions: hello@meevamed.com.