Questions buyers ask

Wild licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra) from Khorezm, Uzbekistan, in these forms:

• slices, sorted by diameter into grades A, B, C and C1, plus D, L, S and Mix;
• tablets, cut straight across the root: A, 1.2 (12 mm) and mixed sizes;
• granules and peeled granules, crushed root, root fibre and powder;
• fingers and sticks, peeled and unpeeled;
• an industrial grade and an extraction grade for processing.

We also cut, sort and pack to order. Licorice extract is made by our extraction partner, "Licorice Extract" LLC, and supplied through us.

Slices are graded by the diameter of the root they are cut from. Sorting is by hand, so the ranges are approximate:

• A: about 30 mm and over;
• B: about 20–30 mm;
• C: about 10–20 mm;
• C1: under 10 mm;
• D: the irregular pieces left from sorting A to C1: the same root, cut less evenly;
• L: over 15 mm, cut from large sticks;
• S: under 15 mm, cut from small sticks;
• Mix: unsorted, the full range.

Every slice grade is cut 5–7 mm thick. Tablets come in grade A as well, and in sizes such as 1.2 (12 mm).

The cut. Tablets are cut straight across the root, at 90°, into round discs 3–4 mm thick. Slices are cut at a shallow angle into long ovals 5–7 mm thick, so their fibres are longer: a slice holds together in boiling water, where a tablet can fall apart into fibres. Tablets are the cheaper choice for extraction; slices suit food and drinks in which a piece must stay whole. The diameter grades are the same: Slice A and Tablet A are cut from root of the same size.

Peeled root has its outer bark removed; unpeeled root keeps it. Both are standard: the European Pharmacopoeia and the Russian State Pharmacopoeia accept peeled and unpeeled root. We peel by hand and by machine, and supply peeled fingers, peeled sticks and peeled granules. Peeled root is not washed, because the soil comes off with the bark; unpeeled sticks and fingers are washed on request.

Both are root for processing, above all for extraction.

• Industrial grade: medium roots 5–20 mm across, washed by machine, steamed and cut into pieces under 5 cm; at least 4 % glycyrrhizic acid.
• Extraction grade: thin roots under 7 mm across, not washed, dried in the open air and cut roughly into 2–5 cm pieces; at least 3.5 %.

At 3.5 %, the extraction grade is below the European Pharmacopoeia's 4.0 % minimum, so it is feedstock for extract makers, not a pharmacopoeial herbal substance.

We do not make extract ourselves. Our extraction partner, "Licorice Extract" LLC, makes licorice root extract as powder or liquid, and we supply it; ask us for its specification. It is a raw material for further purification, into glycyrrhizic acid and the root's other components, not an extract for direct use in food, cosmetics or medicines. Extract has its own customs code, HS 1302.12, separate from the root's 1211.90. For your own extraction, we also supply the root itself: an industrial grade and an extraction grade.

Yes. We cut, sort and pack to order. Tell us the form and cut size, the root diameter, peeled or unpeeled, the minimum glycyrrhizic acid content, the packing and the quantity, and we will tell you what we can supply. Packing can be anything you specify, including liners, pallets and bags printed with your logo, at your cost.

Glycyrrhiza glabra L., the species named first by both the European and the Russian pharmacopoeias. All of it grows wild in Khorezm, Uzbekistan. The three licorice species in trade can usually be told apart by typical compounds; glabridin marks G. glabra. If your specification requires an identity test, name it in your enquiry, and the laboratory adds it to the load's certificate of analysis. You can also check a free sample first.

Root grades are specified at no less than 4 % glycyrrhizic acid, and the extraction grade at no less than 3.5 %. The European Pharmacopoeia minimum is 4.0 % 18β-glycyrrhizic acid on the dried root. The figure for a load is on its certificate of analysis from the laboratory. Content tends to follow root diameter and harvest season: if you need a higher minimum, say so, and lots richer in glycyrrhizic acid can be selected. Compare figures obtained by the same method.

Each product page gives the product's specification:

• glycyrrhizic acid: at least 4 % (3.5 % for the extraction grade);
• moisture: at most 12 %;
• foreign matter: at most 1 %;
• microbiology: total plate count at most 100,000 CFU/g, yeasts and moulds at most 1,000 CFU/g, E. coli and Salmonella absent.

Each load's certificate of analysis always covers glycyrrhizic acid, ash and moisture. Heavy metals, pesticide residues and other tests are added when you name them in your enquiry.

Yes. Every export load has a certificate of analysis from a professional laboratory in Uzbekistan, and you can choose the laboratory. It always covers glycyrrhizic acid, ash and moisture; name any other tests your specification requires, such as microbiology, heavy metals or pesticide residues, in your enquiry. The lot number on the certificate is the same as on the invoice, the packing list and the bags.

Professional laboratories in Uzbekistan test each export load, and you can choose the laboratory; we have no laboratory of our own. Every certificate of analysis covers glycyrrhizic acid, ash and moisture, and the laboratory adds the other tests you name. Buyers also test loads against their own specifications, and you can test a free sample in your own laboratory before you order.

Our glycyrrhizic acid minimum matches the Ph. Eur. minimum of 4.0 %. Whether a lot meets the whole monograph is decided by testing that lot by the monograph's methods. If you buy to Ph. Eur. monograph 0277, Liquorice root, say so in your enquiry and name the tests you need: the laboratory, which you can choose, adds them to the load's certificate of analysis.

Monograph ФС.2.5.0040.15 is stricter: at least 6 % glycyrrhizic acid and total ash of at most 8 %. Our general specification does not guarantee these. Content tends to follow root diameter and harvest season, so if you buy to the Russian monograph, say so in your enquiry: lots richer in glycyrrhizic acid can be selected, and the laboratory tests the load for the figures you name.

Not as standard: the certificate of analysis for each load always covers glycyrrhizic acid, ash and moisture, and the professional laboratory, which you can choose, adds ochratoxin A, heavy metals, pesticide residues or other tests when you name them in your enquiry. For reference, EU rules (Regulation (EU) 2023/915) set ochratoxin A at 20 µg/kg for licorice root used in herbal infusions and 80 µg/kg for licorice extract used in food.

None at present: we hold no HACCP, ISO, organic or similar certificate, and we do not claim one. Each export load is tested by a professional laboratory in Uzbekistan, which you can choose, and travels with its certificate of analysis, a phytosanitary certificate and a fumigation certificate. You can also check the root yourself: samples are free, and buyer audits and visits to our facility are welcome. Any quality certificate we obtain will be listed here, with its issuer and expiry date.

Every load is fumigated with phosphine (aluminium phosphide) before it leaves, and a fumigation certificate travels with it. The root is never irradiated. Slices, tablets and the industrial grade are steamed before cutting, so the root cuts cleanly and keeps its colour; each product page lists its steps. Steaming is not a sterilisation step. If your specification sets microbiology limits, name them in your enquiry, and the laboratory tests the load.

Store it at or below 25 °C, in a cool, dry place away from sunlight. Shelf life is 36 months from the production date. Each product page gives the same storage conditions and shelf life. We keep a sample of each shipment for one year, so a question about a load can be checked against it.

1 t per order under FCA. Under every other Incoterm, the minimum is a full load: 11 t in a 20 ft container, or 22 t in a 40 ft container or a tent truck. Preparing a 22 t load takes about 30 days. Before you order, you can test the root on a free sample of 100–200 g per grade.

We quote each enquiry; there are no public prices. Send a request with the product and grade, the quantity, the destination and the Incoterm you prefer, and our sales representative replies within 24 hours. The more of these you give, the quicker and firmer the quote. You can also add several products to a quote list from the product pages and send them together.

For a firm quote, send:

• the product and grade;
• the quantity, and how many loads a year if the order repeats;
• the packing, if not our standard bags;
• the destination country and the port or city;
• the Incoterm, or "to discuss";
• the standard the root must meet, for example the European Pharmacopoeia;
• the documents you need;
• when you need the goods.

Yes. Samples are free for companies: 100–200 g of each grade you ask for. You pay the FedEx shipping, or we use your own FedEx account, and we send the samples after 3 business days. Free samples cover licorice root; for the extract, ask us. You are also welcome to visit our facility before ordering: we help with the visa and hotel and meet you at the airport.

T/T (bank transfer), L/C (letter of credit) or D/P (documents against payment), in US dollars, euros, Uzbek sum, Chinese yuan, pounds sterling, Swiss francs or Russian roubles. The method and the currency are set in the sales contract for each order.

About 30 days to prepare a standard 22 t load. Transit then depends on the destination and the route: most shipments take about 20 days or more, because routes from a doubly landlocked country are long and seldom direct. Tell us your destination when you ask for a quote, and we will tell you the route.

Yes. We process and export more than 500 t of root a year and harvest all year round, so the listed grades are available in every season. Today we sell order by order, but we welcome a yearly supply programme with loads on a schedule: predictable loads suit us too. Tell us the grades, the number of loads a year and the months you need them.

Eight Incoterms® 2020 rules: EXW, FCA, CPT, CIP and DAP for any transport, and FOB, CFR and CIF for sea transport. By truck we hand over the goods at our site in Bogot district (EXW or FCA); by rail, at Urgench railway station (FCA). The minimum order is 1 t under FCA and a full load under the other rules. The more of the journey we take on, the higher the price.

Yes, at a named seaport outside Uzbekistan, since the country has no coast: the port of loading under FOB, the port of destination under CFR and CIF. The port we used most, Bandar Abbas in Iran, is not in use at present, so tell us the port you prefer. For containers that reach the port by truck or rail, FCA or CPT is often the better fit.

Our standard packing is polypropylene (PP) bags of 20, 21, 25 or 30 kg. Packing is made to order: inner liners, pallets, bags printed with your logo or any other packing you specify, at your cost. Sticks, about 50 cm long, can also be pressed into bales of about 120 kg; fingers always travel in bags.

A 20 ft container takes 11 t net; a 40 ft container or a tent truck takes 22 t. Root is dense, so weight, not space, sets the load: a 40 ft container could take about 26 t, but we load 22 t so the truck stays within the road limits on axle weight all the way. A heavier load is possible on request; finding a truck that may carry it takes extra time.

Every load travels with:

• the export declaration;
• the commercial invoice;
• the packing list;
• the phytosanitary certificate;
• the certificate of origin;
• the fumigation certificate;
• the certificate of analysis issued for each export load;
• a copy of the sales contract, on request.

The certificates take a few days to issue and are ready before the load is.

The phytosanitary certificate is issued by the Agency for Plant Protection and Quarantine under the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The certificate of origin, on GSP Form A, is issued in Urgench by SCC LLC "Khorezmexpertiza" of JSC "Uzbekexpertiza", with origin criterion "P": wholly obtained in Uzbekistan. Both take a few days to issue and are ready before the load is.

Licorice root, whole, cut, crushed or powdered, goes under HS 1211.90: Note 4 to Chapter 12 names liquorice among the plants of heading 12.11, but it has no subheading of its own. Licorice extract is 1302.12. The Eurasian Economic Union's line is 1211 90 860 1, and Uzbekistan's own code for raw licorice root is 1211 90 860 8. Your customs authority makes the final decision.

Yes, above set levels of glycyrrhizinic acid. Under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III, confectionery and beverages from 100 mg/kg or 10 mg/l must state "contains liquorice". From 4 g/kg in confectionery, or 50 mg/l in beverages (300 mg/l above 1.2 % alcohol by volume), the statement adds that people suffering from hypertension should avoid excessive consumption.

Under CIF we insure on Institute Cargo Clauses (C), and under CIP on Institute Cargo Clauses (A), the minimums that Incoterms® 2020 sets. Under the other rules, once the risk passes to you, insuring the goods is your decision. The logistics page shows where the risk passes under each rule.

From Khorezm, a region in north-west Uzbekistan on the lower Amu Darya. Our site is in Bogot district, and we harvest wild root across the whole of Khorezm, all year round. Every load is prepared at our site and leaves by truck from there or by rail from Urgench railway station. The certificate of origin names Uzbekistan as the country of origin.

All our root is wild-harvested; none is cultivated, so every lot is wild root. It is dug across Khorezm, all year round, under a harvest permit from the National Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Ecology and Climate Change. The Russian State Pharmacopoeia's monograph on licorice root describes the roots of wild-growing plants.

All year round, across Khorezm. Digging stops only in extreme cold, about 3–4 days a year, so we can prepare loads in every season. Glycyrrhizic acid content tends to follow root diameter and harvest season; if your specification sets a higher minimum, say so, and lots richer in glycyrrhizic acid can be selected.

Yes. Harvesting wild licorice in Uzbekistan requires a permit; ours is issued by the National Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Ecology and Climate Change. The country's rules on these permits give raw licorice root its own code, 1211 90 860 8. For export, every load is cleared through customs and travels with a phytosanitary certificate and a certificate of origin.

Yes, the same plant. "Licorice" is the American spelling; "liquorice" is British, and it is the spelling of the European Pharmacopoeia and EU law. The Latin pharmacopoeial name of the root is Liquiritiae radix, the German name is Süßholzwurzel, and in Russian the plant is «солодка». The species we supply is Glycyrrhiza glabra.