Levisticum officinale
| Levisticum officinale | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 4 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Self Pollinated | |
| Height: | 6' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Summer-Late Summer |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Levisticum officinale (common name: lovage)
Propagation: Seed - sow spring or early autumn in a cold frame. The seed can be slow to germinate so it is probably best sown as soon as it is ripe[K]. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out into their permanent positions in the summer.
Division in spring or autumn. This can be quite hard work due to the size of the roots but the plant grows away very well afterwards. Larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.
Cultivation: An easily grown plant, it prefers a rich moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position[1][2], though it tolerates some shade[3].
Lovage has very aromatic leaves. It is often grown in the herb garden as a culinary herb[4] and is occasionally grown commercially as a food flavouring[K]. If the plant is cut back to the ground during the growing season it will produce a new flush of young leaves[5]. If the weather is dry at this time, it will be necessary to water the plants in order to encourage fresh growth[K].
Lovage is a good companion plant, improving the health and flavour of other plants growing nearby[3][6]. The flowers are very attractive to bees and also draw insect predators such as hoverflies into the garden[7].
Range: Europe. Occasionally naturalized in Britain.
Habitat: Arable land and waste places[8] in damp soils[4][3]. Mountain pastures and hedgerows near streams[9].
Edibility: Leaves and stems - raw or cooked[10][1][3][11]. Used as a savoury flavouring in salads, soups, stews etc, imparting a yeasty/celery flavour[8][2]. The leaves can be used fresh or dried and are available from late winter until late autumn. To ensure a good supply of the leaves in the summer, it is best to cut the plants down to the ground when flowering in the summer[K].
The young stem can be blanched and used like celery in salads or as a savoury flavouring in cooked foods[2][12].
Seed - raw or cooked. A strong yeasty flavour, it is used as a flavouring in cakes, soups, salads etc[10][11][13][5]. It can be used whole or ground into a powder.
Root - cooked. A strong savoury taste, it can be used as a flavouring[14] or cooked as a vegetable[5]. It is best grated[5]. Best used when 2 - 3 years old[14].
Flowers[12]. No more details are given.
A tea is made from the dried leaves. A strong savoury flavour, it tastes more like a broth[11][12]. A tea can also be made from the grated roots[12].
An essential oil from the root is used commercially as a food flavouring[12][15]. Yields of 0.5% are obtained[4].
Medicinal: Lovage is a warming and tonic herb for the digestive and respiratory systems. It is used primarily in the treatment of indigestion, poor appetite, wind, colic and bronchitis[16].
The roots, leaves and fruits are antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, mildly expectorant and stimulant[1][4][11][13][17][15]. They are used internally in the treatment of disordered stomachs, especially cases of colic and flatulence in children, kidney stones, cystitis, painful menstruation and slow labour[1][15]. Externally, the root is used in the treatment of sore throats and aphthous ulcers[15]. The roots of plants 3 years old can be harvested in early spring or in the autumn and are used fresh or dried[8][15]. The leaves are harvested before the plant comes into flower and either distilled for their oil or dried for later use[15].
The leaves, either eaten in salads or dried and infused as a tea, have been used as an emmenagogue[1].
The essential oil from the seeds is used by aromatherapists to remove freckles and spots from the face[9].
Usage: An essential oil from the plant is used in perfumery[4][15].
Pollinators: Insects
Notes: I'm not at all sure if chickens eat the more aromatic seeds, but the leaves can also be eaten.
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Early Spring-Late Fall
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Lovage is said to contain the alleged 'psychotroph' myristicine[18].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Larkcom, Joy. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn, 1980.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Hylton, Josie and William Holtom. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press, 1979.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes. Garden Way, 1978.
- ↑ Baines, Chris. Making a Wildlife Garden.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Lust, John. The Herb Book. Bantam Books, 1983.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Uphof, Johannes. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim, 1959.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Brouk, Bohuslav. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, 1975.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 15.6 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Mills, Simon. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.