Astragalus and liquorice root
Two sweet East Asian roots that appear in the same blends and taste nothing alike. Both are much more often bought for reasons this catalogue does not cover.
botanical
What is being compared
Why these get confused
TeaHQ describes what these taste like and nothing else. Both carry very large functional literatures that this catalogue does not draw on and does not summarise.
Point by point
| Aspect | Astragalus | Liquorice root |
|---|---|---|
| Plant | Astragalus membranaceus, a pea-family root from northern China, Mongolia and Siberia. | Glycyrrhiza species, also a pea-family root, from western and central Asia. |
| Sweetness | Mild and faintly sweet, more like a beany broth than a sugar. | Intensely sweet, far sweeter than sugar by weight, and unmistakable. |
| Taste | Savoury and slightly grassy, close to a light stock. Easy to under-notice. | Anise and sweetness dominating everything it is put with. |
| In a blend | Recedes; it adds body more than flavour. | Takes over. A small amount rewrites a blend. |
The short answer
They are not substitutes in either direction. Liquorice will dominate anything astragalus was supporting.
Not a ranking. TeaHQ publishes no ratings and does not know your occasion.