MHG Volunteer Blog 24: Lovage

It's time for the latest blog from our dedicated team of volunteer gardeners at Pontefract Castle.

Find out more about their blog series here.

This week we planted new summer savory and lavender plants. These replaced some plants badly affected by dogs using them as a toilet...  Dave dug up some more woad to make room for Carole to add five new plant varieties.  This increases our total to 164 different varieties in the Medieval Herb Garden!

Helen potted-on liquorice, dahlias, boysen berries, asters and white cosmos. These will go on sale later in the week. Quite a few plants need to be cut back, but this will wait until after Carole’s talk this Saturday.

Potted-on plants getting ready for sale

Plant of the Week: Lovage (Levisticum officinale)

The name "lovage" is from "love-ache". 'Ache' is a medieval name for parsley. This is a folk modification of the older French name 'levesche', from late Latin 'levisticum'. This in turn is a modification of the earlier Latin 'ligusticum', meaning 'of Liguria' (northwest Italy). The herb was grown extensively there.

Lovage grows to a height of 8ft, with a spread of 3ft. It is a pungent, clump-forming, upright, herbaceous, deciduous, perennial plant. It is formed from a rosette of tripinnate leaves, up to 28 inches long. The stems have shiny, hairless, green to yellow-green leaves. The leaves have a strong smell, and are small.

Lovage flowers in early Summer. The flowers are yellow to greenish-yellow and 2-3 mm in diameter. They are produced in large numbers in umbels up to 10-15cm diameter.

It will grow in any South-facing or West-facing, moist but well-drained soil, with an ideal pH of between 5 and 7.6.

All parts of the plant, including the roots, have a strong smell. They contain extractable essential oils.

Lovage growing tall in the MHG

Culinary uses of Lovage

Leaves of the lovage plant can be used fresh or dried. Fresh leaves can be used in soups, salads, casseroles and stews or salads or to flavour dishes. The roots can be eaten as a vegetable or grated for use in salads. Its flavour and smell are smiliar to celery and parsley, but they are more intense and spicier.

In the UK, an alcoholic lovage cordial was traditionally added to brandy as a winter drink. It was popular in Cornwall where it was originally added to slightly spoiled smuggled brandy to hide the taste of salt.

Folklore and other facts about Lovage

In Ukrainian folklore, lovage (любисток/liubystok) was used by women to rinse their hair. The spicy scent was believed to attract men, so lovage was considered an aphrodisiac! Nowadays, hair conditioners can be bought which contain lovage extract to strengthen the hair.

In Polish folklore, lovage is tied to both love and protection against supernatural entities. This includes the strzygoń (an undead creature).

The volatile oil extracted from the roots is highly valued for use in perfumery, soaps and creams. It has been used for flavouring tobacco products.

Lovage plants are very sensitive to aphids as well as diseases caused by fungi. Leaf miners attack the plant's leaves and leave behind white coloured burrowing spots. It may also be susceptible to celery leaf spot.

Medieval uses of Lovage*

Since the 1300s, the rhizome and roots of lovage have been used to increase the flow of urine and dissipate wind. Lovage was considered to be good for treating urinary tract infections and kidney stones, jaundice, malaria, pleurisy, boils, eye inflammation, aching throats, rheumatism and gout.

The roots were used in the treatment of sore throats, haemorrhoids and skin ulcers.

In Iranian folk medicine, lovage was used for the treatment of several gastrointestinal, nervous and rheumatic disorders.

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.