The flora of the Turkmen nature, which includes mountains, plains, seas, rivers, deserts, and lakes, is the backbone of the national economy, especially the industrial sector. One of the plants is liquorice, widely distributed in the valleys of the Amu Darya River. The liquorice root is considered a cure for thousands ailments. There are thirteen species of this plant in the world; four of them grow on the Turkmen soil. Two species of liquorice are of industrial importance, namely, Glycyrrhiza glabra and Glycyrrhiza uralensis.

Liquorice has been considered a valuable plant since ancient times. The medicinal value of its root was discovered in the ancient Chinese medicine 2800 years ago. The famous Greek physician Pedanius Dioscorides, who lived in the 1st century AD, named this plant ‘Glycyrrhiza’ referring to the sweetness of its roots.