That wonderful licorice root has a toxic compound in it ... stick to the commercial extracts.

I think that a little would be okay, but man, maybe you would have to go to an antique recipe book... Maybe you could tincture it, then flavor to taste... OR why not try horehound? I have tons and can ship you all of it, and then give you a recipe! :o)
What I want to know is, how do you successfully grow GG? I don't think it is happy at my house in Sacramento...but I might have it in too heavy a clay...

These recipes and info might help.

Liquorice Candy
1 cup molasses
1 teaspoon powdered liquorice root (or to taste)
1 teaspoon powdered anise root (or to taste)
flour
icing sugar

Warm the molasses and add liquorice and anise powder. Mix in enough flour to make a workable dough. Roll mixture into small tubes, cut into desired lengths. Roll in icing sugar if desired. The mixture will harden when cool. This is a delicious treat which is mildly laxative and alleviates symptoms of colds and flu.

Liquorice
3.125kg gum arabic
5g white sugar
750g liquorice syrup
315g corn syrup
10 cups water
black colouring

Soak the gum arabic in hot water overnight, allowing 500g to 1 litre of water. Skim, then strain through a fine sieve. Boil the sugar, corn syrup and water together to sweet thermometer temperature of 250C. Add liquorice syrup and black colouring. Cook again to 255C. Add gum. Cast in starch moulds in a hot room for about 48 hours. Take out when mixture is stiff, then cool. Remove from starch moulds. [5g =1 teaspoon;1kg=2lb; 125g=4oz; 315g=10oz; 750g=1 1/2lb)

Liquorice Syrup:
Fill a saucepan with pieces of dried liquorice root; cover the root with water and simmer for 3-4 hours; strain and discard the root. Add 2 tablespoons of honey or brown sugar for each cup of liquid, return to the boil, stirring. Bottle.

Note: Using a starch tray that is at least 30cm square and 76cm deep, fill with very dry sifted cornflour (cornstarch). Make impressions in the surface with plaster of paris moulds glued on strips of wood that are a little larger than the tray. Pour liquid mixture into the impressions with a funnel, or use a spoon. When liquid mixture is set, the liquorice is removed and the cornflour brushed off. Liquorice pieces can be dipped in melted chocolate if desired.

Harvest the main tap root and/or horizontal rhizomes once the plant is 3-5 years old. When dried, they resemble dried wood, hard and fibrous, with a brown skin and a yellow interior. It can be powdered. It will keep indefinitely in an airtight container. Roots can be pulped, then boiled, and the liquorice is then concentrated by evaporation.

Warning: Liquorice should not be used by those suffering from high blood pressure (it raises the BP quite a lot!), diabetes, glaucoma, heart disease or a history of stroke, kidney disease, or by those who are obese. Best avoided when pregnant. May cause water retention and loss of potassium. Do not use for more than 4 weeks consecutively. Professional supervision is recommended.

If you don't think licorice is bad for you, read the 190 adverse affects list in the link below -- these are all published reports from medical journals of licorice poisoning.
Most of the licorice candy sold in stores is not real licorice, it is flavoured with anise.

Here is a link that might be useful: Licorice.

I was reading, and like the first one with the woman who ate moderately large amounts of GG every day for 4 months... I wonder what "moderately large" amounts is? I am not saying it isn't dangerous, it obviously is. And I have seen people who think in this way "if a little is good, then a LOT must be better!" like people who INSIST on taking echinacea every day. BUT I have also seen good medicine be banned due to people over medicating with it. I used to take 1/4 of a pill of L-tryptophan (in the 80's) to help me with my PMS until it got banned, cuz women were taking 20 pills at a time, and dying, cuz it has a side affect of lowering appetite. I was upset, cuz I took so little and it HELPED my PMS.

I have been an avid chewer of Licorice roots over the past 30 years. Not a full time thing, just go thru spurts when it tastes good to me. Very helpful when quitting smoking, licorice makes cigarettes taste awful, and helps to have something in the mouth.
I never had any adverse affects.
Herbs are to be used wisely and in moderation. Don't let one post scare you from making an informed and intelligent decision to use or not use anything.
The HerbMed link posted above also list 67 adverse affects from garlic. Go figure.
I don't have any recipes, however, and have not been able to successfully germinte seeds.
Enjoy! Lynn

Wow, I forgot about this post but I'm glad so many people responded. Thank you for the recipes, there's many helpful things there. I'd love to try and germinate from seed but I can NEVER find any GG anything, anywhere. No plants or seeds at the nurseries. It reclusivley grows wild in the hills around this valley, but I wouldn't dare eat it. I would like to have a plant though, just to have a real licorice producing plant. Thanks again for all the info!

Richters sells seeds. Good luck, Lynn

Here is a link that might be useful: Richters

looking for alternative of steroids, need information on company able to supply in Scotland?

Don't know anything about availability in Scotland, but turmeric (curcumin) has 'steroid-sparing' and 'steroid-like' activity and is another possibility to consider.