This plant is widely used in many industries such as pharmaceuticals, food, beverages and syrups, sweets and chocolates, cosmetics, food supplements, tobacco and many more.

To learn more about this useful plant, an interview was conducted with Mr. Meysam Shokripour, CEO of Sepidan Osareh Jonoob Company, which is one of the largest producers and exporters of licorice products in Iran.

• Would you please introduce yourself?

I am Meysam Shokripour, Archaeologist and CEO of Sepidan Osareh Jonoob Company. Our company produces and exports licorice products such as licorice extract and powder.

• How did you turn to the production and export of licorice products?

My father, Mr. Ahmad Shokripour, has been producing and exporting herbal products, especially licorice, for more than 30 years, and he is one of the most experienced people in this field at the international level. With his efforts and the construction and operation of several factories in the field of production of plant products and his valuable experiences, in 2003, he set up Sepidan Osareh Jonoob Company, and with his efforts and our capable staff, now we are one of the most well-known licorice factories in the world.

• Please explain about licorice.

Licorice is a wild plant that is found in abundance in different parts of Iran and it is called “Mahak”. Its scientific name is “Glycyrrhiza Glabra” and in English it is called “Licorice” or “Liquorice”. It grows in other parts of the world, including southern Europe, Russia, China, the Republic of Azerbaijan and many others. Licorice is about 30 to 100 times sweeter than sugar but has a bitter taste. Licorice contains minerals such as potassium, magnesium, amino acids and so on.

• Please explain briefly about the properties and benefits of licorice.

Licorice has various properties and benefits, some of them are:

It strengthens the digestive system, improves stomach disorders and indigestion, controls stomach acid, heals the respiratory system, relieves sore throat and cough, it is anti-inflammatory and anti-virus, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, it improves skin problems such as eczema and many more.

• In which industries is licorice used?

Licorice is used in various industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, food and beverages, traditional medicine, confectionery, especially pastilles and candies, spices, food supplements, pet food, tobacco, etc.

• What are your licorice products?

Our products include: Licorice powder or licorice extract powder, solid extract or licorice extract blocks, licorice extract paste, licorice root powder and several more specialized products such as licorice granules, licorice nuggets and DGL.

Sepidan Osareh Jonoob Company has the ability to produce any type of product according to the analysis requested by the customers.

• To which countries are your products exported?

Our products are exported to all over the world such as Europe, China, Australia and the United Arab Emirates and many more.

• What features have made European countries buy your products?

Our experiences and ability to produce a variety of licorice products with the features requested by each customer as well as high quality and low price and most importantly the company’s honesty and support even after selling the products, during these decades have caused our success in international market.

• Would you please explain about the process of licorice production?

The raw material of licorice products is licorice root, which is found in abundance in Iran. We buy high-quality roots and after cleaning and drying by fully automatic machines, they enter the production process and in the factory by fully modern machines such as massive extractors, very large spray-dryers and very special and multi-stage concentration systems, they turn into different products. The quality control unit and laboratory check every stage of production process and this is done by our modern laboratory which has one of the most advanced HPLC devices in the world.

Finally, the product is packaged according to European standards.

• Does licorice have any side effects?

Excessive consumption of licorice may increase blood pressure. Therefore, people suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney problems should be cautious, also during pregnancy and breastfeeding, women should consult with their doctor about the consumption of licorice.