Levisticum officinale.   Lovage, Garden Lovage   Family: Umbelliferae      
The common name Lovage also describes the Eastern herb; Ligusticum chuanxiong. Lovage is used as a flavouring in food products and alcoholic beverages.
PART USED: Root and rhizome collected from 2 to 3 year old plants.
TASTE: Sweet and then slightly bitter ODOR: Strongly aromatic
ACTIONS
GROUP: The Gastro-Intestinal Tract- Stomachic
1. Emmenagogue.[1,2]
2. Aperitive.
3. Condiment.
4. Diuretic.[1,2]
5. Expectorant.[1,2,3]
6. Stomachic. Anti-dyspeptic.[1] Aids digestion.[1]
7. Carminative.[1,3]
8. Spasmolytic.[1,3]
9. Diaphoretic.[1,3]
10. Antimicrobial.[1,3]
11. Sedative.[3]
INDICATIONS
1. Dyspepsia.[1,2,3] Anorexia. Flatulence. Flatulent colic.[1] Colic.[3]
2. Delayed menstruation.[1,2] Dysmenorrhoea.[1,2,3]
3. Bronchial catarrh - local use also. Apthous ulcers. Tonsilitis.[1]
4. Edema,[2] of renal origin.[1] Cystitis.[1,2,3] Urinary gravel.[1,2]
5. Rheumatic disorders
6. Fevers
TOPICAL- Tonsillitis- gargle.[1,3]   Aphthous ulcers- mouth wash.[1,3]
SPECIFIC INDICATIONS: Flatulent dyspepsia and anorexia.[1]
COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS  3X/day
Dried root  0.5-2 g.
Decoction  0.5-2g in 10-40 ml of water or milk.[1]
Fluid extract 1:1 in 45% alcohol 0.5-2 ml.[1,2] 0.3-2 ml.[3]

ORIGIN: Mediterranean region. Cultivated in Britain and the USA.
DESCRIPTION: Perennial herb that may grow to 2 m tall. Leaves are divided into wedge-shaped segments, the stems hollow and erect and the flowers are yellow in umbels during Summer. The fleshy rhizome has a greyish-brown external surface and bears numerous longitudinally furrowed rootlets. The bark is thick, spongy, often with small cavities, whitish, and separated from the wood by a dark line. The wood is yellowish, radiate and shows glistening oil glands in transverse section.
References
Inner Path 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.
Constituents
Similar plants
Research

Antimycobacterial polyacetylenes from Levisticum officinale.
Schinkovitz A, Stavri M, Gibbons S, Bucar F.
Abstract
No conflicts of interest concerning financial matters or personal relationships exist between the authors and those who might bias this work. The present work is in part included the PhD thesis of A. Schinkovitz (University of Graz) but has not been published elsewhere previously. The dichloromethane extract of the roots of Levisticum officinale L. (Apiaceae) exhibited significant antimycobacterial activity against Mycobacterium fortuitum and Mycobacterium aurum in a microtiter plate dilution assay and was further analysed following a bioassay-guided fractionation strategy. 3(R)-Falcarinol (3(R)-(-)-1,9-heptadecadien-4,6-diin-3-ol] and 3(R)-8(S)-falcarindiol [3(R)-8(S)-(+)-1,9-heptadecadien-4,6-diin-3,8-diol] could be identified as the active components in this extract. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3(R)-falcarinol against M. fortuitum and M. aurum was 16.4 microM while that of 3(R)-8(S)-falcarindiol was 30.7 microM against M. fortuitum and 61.4 microm against M. aurum, respectively. Previously, 3(R),8(R)-dehydrofalcarindiol was isolated from Artemisia monosperma and surprisingly this polyacetylene exhibited no antimycobacterial activity at 128 microg/mL. This indicates that the terminal methyl group is vital for retention of antimycobacterial activity. Reference antibiotics ethambutol and isoniazid exhibited an activity of 115.5 microM and 14.6 microM against M. fortuitum, and 3.4 microM and 29.2 microM against M. aurum, respectively.
PMID: 18350523 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.2408 Phytother Res. 2008 May;22(5):681-4. doi: 10.1002/ptr.2408. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The activity of Levisticum officinale W.D.J. Koch essential oil against multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberclosis
Mansour Miran, Mohammad Mehdi Feizabadi, Hossein Kazemian, Jalil Kardan-Yamchi, Hamid Reza Monsef-Esfahani, and Samad Nejad Ebrahimi
Abstract
Background and Objectives:
Essential oils are used for controlling and preventing human diseases and the application of those can often be quite safe and effective with no side effect. The essential oils have been found to have antiparasitic, antifungal, antiviral, antioxidant and especially antibacterial activity including antibacterial activity against tuberculosis. In this study the chemical composition and anti-TB activity of essential oil extracted from Levisticum officinale has been evaluated.
Materials and Methods:
The essential oil of L. officinale was obtained by the hydro distillation method and the oil was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS techniques. The antibacterial activity of essential oil was evaluated through Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) assay using micro broth dilution method against multidrug-resistant Maycobacterium tuberculosis. The molecular modeling of major compounds was evaluated through molecular docking using Auto Dock Vina against-2-trans-enoyl-ACP reductase (InhA) as key enzyme in M. tuberclosis cell wall biosynthesis.
Results:
The hydrodistillation on aerial parts of L. officinale yielded 2.5% v/w of essential oil. The major compounds of essential oil were identified as a-terpinenyl acetate (52.85%), ß- phellandrene (10.26%) and neocnidilide (10.12%). The essential oil showed relatively good anti-MDR M. tuberculosis with MIC = 252 µg/ml. The results of Molecular Docking showed that affinity of major compounds was comparable to isoniazid.
Conclusion:
The essential oil of aerial parts extracted from L. officinale was relatively active against MDR M. tuberculosis, and molecular docking showed the major compounds had high affinity to inhibit 2-trans-enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (InhA) as an important enzyme in M. tuberculosis cell wall biosynthesis.
Iran J Microbiol. 2018 Dec; 10(6): 394–399.
PMCID: PMC6414743
PMID: 30873267 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Chemical Composition and antiproliferative activity of essential oil from the leaves of a medicinal herb, Levisticum officinale, against UMSCC1 head and neck squamous carcinoma cells.
Sertel S, Eichhorn T, Plinkert PK, Efferth T.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a challenging disease with a high mortality rate. Natural products represent a valuable source for the development of novel anticancer drugs. We investigated the cytotoxic potential of essential oil from the leaves of a medicinal plant, Levisticum officinale (lovage) on head and neck squamous carcinoma cells (HNSCC).
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Cytotoxicity of lovage essential oil was investigated on the HNSCC cell line, UMSCC1. Additionally, we performed pharmacogenomics analyses.
RESULTS:
Lovage essential oil extract had an IC50 value of 292.6 µg/ml. Genes involved in apoptosis, cancer, cellular growth and cell cycle regulation were the most prominently affected in microarray analyses. The three pathways to be most significantly regulated were extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) signaling, integrin-linked kinase (ILK) signaling, virus entry via endocytic pathways and p53 signaling.
CONCLUSION:
Levisticum officinale essential oil inhibits human HNSCC cell growth.
PMID: 21273597
Anticancer Res. 2011 Jan;31(1):185-91. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov