The Low-Down on Lovage
LOVAGE (LEVISTICUM OFFICINALE) is making a comeback, with roots tracing centuries back through time. This hardy perennial member of the parsley family is also known as “sea parsley” and “love parsley” — and rightly so, as its seeds were used in a medieval love potion. Ancient monastery gardens also sported this versatile herb. In the Middle Ages, Charlemagne, the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, so esteemed lovage that he decreed that it be grown in all his gardens.
Like many other ancient herbs, lovage originated in the Mediterranean region. Although its common names have romantic references, “lovage” is actually an alteration of the genus name , which, as an alteration of (another genus in the carrot family), refers to the plant’s Ligurian origins. The Romans probably brought it to Britain, and from there it traveled to the American colonies. The colonists found lovage hardy, easy to grow with minimal attention, and wholly useful, from the roots to the seeds. Nowadays, the plant is naturalized in much of the United States. If you’re thinking), which, as the name suggests, is extremely poisonous.
