The Herb Society of America’s Research Grant Committee is pleased to celebrate 50 years of the HSA Research Grant by announcing its 2020 recipient. The $5000 grant was awarded to Dr. Matthew Rubin of the Miller Lab at Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri. Dr. Rubin’s study is titled “Characterizing patterns of phenotypic variation and covariation in natural populations of American Licorice (Glycyrrhiza lepidota).”
The study will research compounds extracted from the roots of the American licorice plant. The compounds identified by Dr. Rubin in his proposal include liquiritin, liquiritigenin, glycyrrhizin, and glycyrrhetinic acid, which offer flavoring, sweetening (50 times sweeter than sugar), medicinal, and cosmetic applications.
According to The HSA Research Grant Committee Chair Joy Lilljedahl, “Society has an ever increasing need for diverse medicines as well as healthy and safe food. The challenge is to do so while preserving native plant ecology. The Research Grant Committee overwhelmingly agreed that Dr. Matthew Rubin’s proposal lived up to this challenge.”
G. lepidota is native to North America. It is an herbaceous perennial with purple to lavender flowers and is a member of the legume family (Fabaceae). Licorice extracts are used to flavor baked goods, dairy products, sauces, chewing gum, beverages, medicines like cough syrup and throat lozenges, and tobacco for pipes.
The Miller Lab is part of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center and is focused on perennial crops and wild perennial species. Its goal is to advance the evolution of perennial plants through perennial crop improvement, the development of novel crops for agriculture, and the conservation of perennial plant genetics.
“The Herb Society of America was founded nearly 90 years ago by a group of women who were dedicated to the serious study of herbs but who didn’t have many opportunities for formal science education. Funding herbal research advances our educational mission and honors our founders.” – Amy Schiavone, The Herb Society of America President.