Lovage Levisticum officinale

Common Names
Lovage
Botanical Name
Levisticum officinale
Family
APIACEAE

Medicinal Uses & Benefits of Lovage

How to Use| Side Effects | Plant & Garden|

Medicinal Uses: * Aromatherapy * Culinary/Kitchen
Properties: * Antispasmodic * Aromatic * Carminative * Diaphoretic * Diuretic * Emmenagogue * Nervine
Parts Used: leaves, root, seeds
Constituents: quercetin. the root also contains 1,8-cineole, camphor, coumarins, eugenol, limonene, and methol

How to Use: Lovage

Lovage is an old English garden herb whose use dates from the fourteenth century. Lovage's properties are similar to closely related umbelliferous plants like angelica, carrots,celery, and parsely. Lovage contains quercetin, which makes it a good garden remedy for allergies, respiratory problems, and is effective diuretic for treatment of urinary tract inflammation.

Preparation Methods & Dosage : Fresh or dried Lovage leaves may be eaten as a vegetable, or used in soups and as a garnish, much like parsley. Also found in tinctures and extracts.

Lovage Side Effects: Lovage root contains furanocoumarins which can lead to photosensitivity.

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Plant Description

immature plant in spring

Flowers:Umbrel yellow flowers
Plant Class:Perennial herb
Leaves:Large, dark green, radical leaves, aromatic odor
Root: Thick, fleshy, carrot-like
Preferred Habitat:
Flowering Season:June, July
Distribution:Introduced to North America by English colonists, it now grows wild in New England, the Great Lakes states, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico.

Regional Traditions :North America *

How to Grow Lovage

Plant these tall, leafy plants at the back of the garden where their 6 ft height will not be an issue. The leaves and seeds of this overgrown parsley-type plant are used for medicinal and culinary uses. Lovage is considered a "magic bullet" companion plant; much as borage helps protect almost all plants from pests, so lovage is thought to improve the health of almost all plants.

History and Traditions & Folklore

A member of the same family as dill, angelica, and parsley, the botanical name, Levisticum can be translated "from Liguria". The Romans brought lovage from the Ligurian coast of Italy to Britain. Lovage came to America with the English colonists and was brought over for both food and medicine.

References:

Works Cited

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