Leaves and stems - raw or cooked[2, 4, 14, 21]. Used as a savoury flavouring in salads, soups, stews etc, imparting a yeasty/celery flavour[9, 52]. 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[52, 183]. Seed - raw or cooked. A strong yeasty flavour, it is used as a flavouring in cakes, soups, salads etc[2, 21, 46, 200]. It can be used whole or ground into a powder. Root - cooked. A strong savoury taste, it can be used as a flavouring[142] or cooked as a vegetable[200]. It is best grated[200]. Best used when 2 - 3 years old[142]. Flowers[183]. No more details are given. A tea is made from the dried leaves. A strong savoury flavour, it tastes more like a broth[21, 183]. A tea can also be made from the grated roots[183]. An essential oil from the root is used commercially as a food flavouring[183, 238]. Yields of 0.5% are obtained[7].

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


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[254]. The roots, leaves and fruits are antispasmodic, aromatic, carminative, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, mildly expectorant and stimulant[4, 7, 21, 46, 165, 238]. 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[4, 238]. Externally, the root is used in the treatment of sore throats and aphthous ulcers[238]. The roots of plants 3 years old can be harvested in early spring or in the autumn and are used fresh or dried[9, 238]. The leaves are harvested before the plant comes into flower and either distilled for their oil or dried for later use[238]. The leaves, either eaten in salads or dried and infused as a tea, have been used as an emmenagogue[4]. The essential oil from the seeds is used by aromatherapists to remove freckles and spots from the face[244]. The German Commission E Monographs, a therapeutic guide to herbal medicine, approve Levisticum officinale - Lovage for infections of the urinary tract, kidney and bladder stones (see [302] for critics of commission E).

An essential oil from the plant is used in perfumery[7, 238].

Special Uses