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Comparative Analysis of Phytochemical Characteristics of Licorice Distributed and Long-Term Cultivated in Korea

국내 유통 및 장기재배 감초의 약리성분 특성 비교 분석

Yong Il Kim12
,
Jeong Hoon Lee1
,
Young Ho Yoon1
,
Jae Hwan Kim1
,
Hea min Jeong1
,
Dong Kyun Son1
,
Myeong Ja Kwak2
,
Su Young Woo2*
김 용일12
,
이 정훈1
,
윤 영호1
,
김 재환1
,
정 혜민1
,
손 동균1
,
곽 명자2
,
우 수영2*
1Department of Herbal Crop Research, National Institute of Horticultural and Herbal Science, Rural Development Administration, Eumseong 27709, Korea
2Department of Environmental Horticulture, University of Seoul, Seoul 02504, Korea
1국립원예특작과학원 약용작물과
2서울시립대학교 환경원예학과
*Corresponding Author
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Abstract

Licorice must meet the domestic pharmacopoeial standard of a glycyrrhizin content of at least 2.5% to be used as a pharmaceutical, and if it falls short, it can only be utilized as a food ingredient. Imported wild licorice and cultivated licorice from China met the glycyrrhizin standard, whereas cultivated licorice produced in Korea and Japan did not. Consequently, achieving high glycyrrhizin content has long remained a challenge, and the factors responsible for differences in content—such as climate, species, plant part, and age—have not yet been clearly elucidated. In this study, in order to elucidate these factors, licorice samples from domestic and international sources were repeatedly collected for taxonomic identification and compositional analysis. Additionally, licorice (Glycyrrhiza uralensis and ‘Wongam’) was cultivated under a temperature gradient for five years and subsequently compared with commercially distributed samples. The results confirmed that long-term cultivated licorice contained high glycyrrhizin levels of 3.43–5.66%, exceeding the Korean Pharmacopoeia standard (2.5%), with no significant differences due to temperature treatment. Furthermore, the glycyrrhizin content in rhizomes was 5.31–7.09%, which was higher than that in roots, additionally confirming a factor contributing to the elevated glycyrrhizin content in wild licorice, which contains a high proportion of rhizomes. This study can be used as fundamental data for the future production of licorice for pharmaceutical applications.

Keywords
age
Glycyrrhiza uralensis
secondary metabolites
temperature gradient
Wongam

감초는 국내 공정서의 기준인 ‘glycyrrhizin 함량 2.5% 이상’을 충족해야 의약품으로 사용할 수 있고, 미달시 식품으로만 활용된다. 수입 야생 감초와 중국 재배 감초는 glycyrrhizin 기준을 충족하였으나, 한국과 일본에서 생산되는 재배 감초는 기준을 충족하지 못하였다. 이로인해 높은 glycyrrhizin 함량을 확보하기 위한 방법은 오랫동안 해결해야 할 과제로 남아 있었으나, 기후, 종, 부위, 연령 등 어떤 요인이 함량 차이를 유발하는지는 아직 명확히 규명되지 않았다. 본 연구에서는 이를 밝혀내기 위해 국내외 유통 감초를 여러 차례 수집하여 분류동정 및 성분을 조사하였으며, 별도로 감초(Glycyrrhiza uralensis and ‘Wongam’)를 5년간 온도구배 처리하여 재배한 후 유통 감초와 성분 함량을 비교 분석하였다. 그 결과 장기 재배한 감초에서 대한약전 기준치(2.5%)를 상회하는 3.43–5.66%의 높은 glycyrrhizin 함량을 확인하였으며, 온도 처리에 따른 차이는 없었다. 또한 지하경의 함량은 5.31–7.09%로 뿌리보다 높아, 지하경 비중이 높은 야생 감초에서 glycyrrhizin 함량이 높은 요인을 추가로 확인하였다. 본 연구는 향후 의약품용 감초 생산을 위한 기초자료로 활용될 수 있다.

키워드
연생
만주감초
이차대사산물
온도구배
원감
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Information
  • Publisher :KOREAN SOCIETY FOR HORTICULTURAL SCIENCE
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국원예학회
  • Journal Title :Horticultural Science and Technology
  • Journal Title(Ko) :원예과학기술지
  • Received Date : 2026-01-06
  • Revised Date : 2026-02-16
  • Accepted Date : 2026-03-16
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7235/HORT.20260008
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