Lovage
Botanical Name: Levisticum officinale
The roots, seeds and leaves are used for flavouring foods. Flowering tops yield volatile oil. The leaves and stems are blanched and eaten as salads. In medicine it is used as a liver tonic and is used against bladder inflammation.
DESCRIPTION
Lovage is a hardy perennial with a height of 90 cm, flowers in summer, dying down in autumn. It bears clusters of yellow flowers with a sharp smell. The roots are dug out in second or third year of planting and cut into slices in 13 mm thick and carefully dried.
Origin and Distribution
It is a native of Europe and is now cultivated in USA. In India it is grown in Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu. It grows well in well-drained soil. The seeds are sown in late summer and transplanted in the following spring.