Breda Sneddon
A Review of the Medicinal Properties and Botany of Ligusticum levisticum and Ligusticum scoticum
Abstract
Both Common Lovage and Scots Lovage are of European origin and have had a number of traditional culinary and medicinal uses recorded over nearly 10 centuries.
Lovage had over the past century become known more as a culinary herb, viewed possibly as architectural rather than tasty. From Grieves (1931) to today, little information has been published on therapeutic use of Lovage and a few herbalists now have experience in using it as a remedy.
Scots Lovage has a dubious reputation as a culinary herb and thrives now as a wild plant, surviving in cool, inhospitable rocky coastlines in northern hemisphere. There is no modern published information on therapeutic use of this plant, but historically it was important in the north of Scotland for helping to prevent illness. A forgotten plant with a long list of powerful relatives, the roots contain some chemical constituents with known pharmacological activity.
In terms of modern chronic illness both of these native herbs could be said to be underused resources.
This project reviews historical and current use of both herbs and prepares an argument for the re-introduction of Lovage into the modern Herbal Materia Medica as a useful remedy for the treatment of chronic ailments.
