フジリチンの原料は、中国、ロシア、アフガニスタン等に産するGlycyrrhiza属の植物根で、一般には、甘草という名称で古くから漢方薬などに用いられています。
近年抽出及び精製技術の進歩に伴い、甘味成分（グリチルリチン）を純粋に取り出す事に成功し人体に安全で、砂糖の250倍の甘味力に加え、塩辛さを消す効果がある事から塩蔵食品にも多く利用されています。

The raw material of Fuji Rhizin is the root of a plant in the Glycyrrhiza Genus growing in China, Russia ans Afghanistan and generally used as a Chinese medicine called Licorice.
Glycyrrhizin, a sweetening component, has recently become possible to be extracted from licorice and purified by safety and healthfulness for human, the sweetness 250-times as high as that of sugar and the effect for counteracting the saltness. It is, therefore, used also for the salted foods.