Polypody

the root of liquorice (Glycyrrhiza / Liquiritiae radix)

Polypody (Polypodium vulgare) is a small fern with leathery, pinnately divided fronds and a horizontal creeping rhizome which tastes sweetish; hence its Slovenian name, sweet root. It grows on mossy rocks, on walls, on rotting stumps and in damp woods, often on vertical faces.

The rhizome is dug in autumn or early spring; it is cleared of rootlets and scales, cut up and dried at a low temperature. It is gathered sparingly, because the fern grows slowly and stays tied to the same sites for decades.

Polypody, which is a fern, must not be confused with liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), which is a legume and has an altogether different use; the Slovenian names of the two are almost identical, though the plants are not related.

Use and evidence

The EMA assessment did not establish robust clinical efficacy; historical use as a mild laxative or expectorant does not justify broad claims about the lungs and the liver. EMA.