Licorice (Glycyrrhiza) is one of the most widely used in foods, herbal medicine and one of the extensively researched medicinal plants of the world. In traditional medicine licorice roots have been used against treating many ailments including lung diseases, arthritis, kidney diseases, eczema, heart diseases, gastric ulcer, low blood pressure, allergies, liver toxicity, and certain microbial infections. Licorice extract contains sugars, starch, bitters, resins, essential oils, tannins, inorganic salts and low levels of nitrogenous constituents such as proteins, individual amino acids, and nucleic acids. A large number of biologically active compounds have been isolated from Glycyrrhiza species, where triterpene, saponins and flavonoids are the main constitutes which show broad biological activities.

The present book will discuss the botany, the commercial interests as well as the recent studies on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of licorice. It will also describe the side effects and toxicity of licorice and its bioactive components, an underrepresented subjects of importance.

It will be the first book to present global perspectives of licorice in detail. It will serve as a carefully researched introduction for students, healthcare practitioners, botanists and plant biochemists; full of historical background and bridges the gap between botany, ecology, pharmacology, as well as treatment of diseases.

Dr. Münir Öztürk (PhD) has completed his M.Sc degree from Jammu& Kashmir University, Kashmir, Ph.D.& D.Sc. from the Ege University Izmir, Turkey. He has served for the last 50 years in different positions at the Ege University. Dr. Öztürk has been elected as the Vice President of the Islamic World Academy of Sciencesin 2017; has received the fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt, Japanese Society for Promotion of Science and National Science Foundation of USA. He is the Founding Director of the Centre for Environmental Sudies, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. Has worked as Consultant Fellow, Faculty of Forestry,Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia and as Distinguished Visiting Scientist, ICCBS, Karachi University, Pakistan. Fields of scientific interest are Plant Eco-Physiology; Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Conservation of Plant Diversity; Biosaline Agriculture and Crops; Pollution and Biomonitoring. He has published 40 books, 50 book chapters, and more than 200 papers in prestigious journals.Dr. Khalid Rehman Hakeem (PhD) is Associate Professor at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. He has completed his Ph.D. (Botany) from Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India in 2011. Dr. Hakeem has worked as Post Doctorate Fellow in 2012 and Fellow Researcher (Associate Prof.) from 2013-2016 at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia. His speciality is Plant Eco-Physiology, Biotechnology& Molecular biology, Plant-Microbe-soil interactions and Environmental Sciences, and has edited and authored more than sixteen books with Springer Nature, Academic Press (Elsevier), and other publishing companies and published more than 110 research publications in peer reviewed international journals, including 40 book chapters in edited volumes with international publishers.Dr. Volkan Altay, (PhD) is Associate Professor of Ecology. He has received his PhD in 2009 from Marmara University, Istanbul, and D.Sc. in 2014 from Mustafa Kemal University, Turkey. His area of research is plant ecology, evaluation of natural plant resources, taxonomy and molecular analysis, plant inventory, and sustainable use of the medicinal plants. He has published more than 30 research publications in prestigious journals. He has also published reviews, international congress reports and book chapters.Dr. Eren Akçiçek, (PhD) is a retired Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology. He received his MD from Ege University, Turkey, and served there for nearly 50 years as specialist in the Department of Gastroenterology. He has published more than 50 articles and nearly 25 books covering different fields and topics of public interest. He is a member of several societies and has been awarded several prizes.

Introduction.- Botany.- Ecology.- Ecophysicological Aspects.- Liqurice-Mycorrhiza Interactions.- Molecular Aspects.- Pharmacolgical Activities and Phytochemical Constituents.- Economic Importance.- Cultivation.