What is the difference between lovage and celery, or is it the same thing?

Celery and lovage are plants from the Umbrella family. They are similar in appearance, have a similar aroma. Both cultures are rich in composition and have healing properties. However, there are features that distinguish them from each other. We will talk about the similarities and differences between celery and lovage in this publication.

Lovage: plant description

Lovage (Latin Levisticum officinále) is a medicinal perennial from the Umbrella family, or Celery, native to southern Europe. Natural habitat - Iran, Afghanistan, Mediterranean. It does not grow wild in Russia. It is cultivated in personal plots.

The root is thick, large, brown in color with a spicy aroma. Erect hollow stems grow up to 2-2.5 m in height. Leaves are dark green, shiny, pinnately dissected twice or three times.

The plant blooms with small, yellow-green or white-yellow flowers. Inflorescences are complex, umbellate. The flowering period is from June to August. Reproduction by bushes and seeds. The plant is frost-resistant, has a strong aroma reminiscent of the smell of celery.

In the photo - lovage.

Chemical composition and benefits

Lovage contains:

• essential oil - 0.1-2.7%;
• D-α-terpineol;
• cineole;
• acetic, isovaleric and benzoic acid;
• butylphthalide;
• ligustilide (a substance responsible for aroma);
• lecithin - 0.9%;
• falcarindiol - 0.06%;
• resins;
• gum;
• organic acids - angelic and malic;
• starch;
• Sahara;
• terpenes - α-terpineol, carvacrol, sesquiterpenes, isovaleric acid;
• furocoumarins - psoralen and bergapten;
• tannins and minerals;
• ascorbic acid - 119 mg;
• carotene - 5 mg;
• routine.

Useful properties of the plant:

• relieves pain;
• has an anticonvulsant effect;
• promotes the elimination of phlegm;
• relieves emotional stress;
• removes bile;
• reduces gas formation;
• has a diuretic effect;
• promotes rapid wound healing;
• disinfects.

Application features

Lovage is a plant that looks like celery and is widely used in folk medicine and cooking. Its essential oil is an aphrodisiac. It is applied to the skin to attract the opposite sex. Aromatic oil is also used for culinary purposes.

The juice from the leaves tones up, normalizes the digestive tract, reduces gas formation, improves appetite. It is used as a mild laxative.

In cooking, the roots, leaves and stems of lovage are used to give a special aroma to dishes from vegetables, meat, cereals, fish, cottage cheese. The dried root is added to marinades and drinks.

Dried herbs are sprinkled with soups, sauces and gravies. A fragrant seasoning for fish is obtained from it. To do this, take in equal proportions thyme, yarrow and lovage.

Ground seeds are used to flavor salt (1: 1).

The leaves of a fresh plant are placed in salads of cucumbers, sweet peppers, radishes, tomatoes.

Lovage is used in medicine for the treatment of obesity, rheumatism, liver, heart and lung pathologies. The plant helps to get rid of gout, anemia, migraine, dropsy.

The leaves are used to strengthen hair follicles, eliminate dandruff, age spots and freckles, pustular rash, trophic wounds.

Celery: plant description

Celery is a biennial plant from the Umbrella family, native to the Mediterranean, and is ubiquitous. The roots, stems and leaves are used for food. The plant is considered to be the strongest aphrodisiac. Varieties of culture - root, petiole and leafy celery.

Plant height - 70-100 cm.The color of the leaves with jagged edges is light green. The basal leaves are darker than those formed on the stem and have fleshy petioles.

In the first year, the plant grows greenery and a large rhizome. In the second year, a peduncle with seeds is formed, after which the plant dies off.

The culture is demanding on the place of growth and care. Young plants are not resistant to frost, therefore, seedlings are planted in the ground no earlier than the last days of May or early June.

Reference. Celery leaves resemble parsley leaves, but have a different shape and pattern. Their aroma is spicier, the taste is sharper.

Inflorescences are small, greenish, sometimes whitish. Seeds are small, brown.

Root varieties are represented by rounded, fleshy, creamy roots. The ground part is not used for food because of the long growing season - about 200 days. If you remove the leaves before the root crop matures, the ground mass will not be enough to form an underground one.

In the photo - root celery.

Leafy varieties are cultivated to produce juicy greens. Some of them form hard foliage, unsuitable for fresh consumption. It is dried or canned. Other varieties expel many delicate leaves for fresh consumption.

In the photo - leafy celery.

Petiole celery is not as popular in Russia as, for example, in European countries. The selection of varieties is small, mainly of imported origin. Petiolate varieties are divided into green and self-bleaching.

To bleach green petioles artificially, high hilling is carried out a month before harvest, without falling asleep in the foliage.

In the photo - stalked celery.

Chemical composition and useful properties

The chemical compositions of celery stalks and roots are different.

The table shows the vitamin and mineral composition of stalked celery (per 100 g).

The table shows the vitamin and mineral composition of root celery (per 100 g).

Beneficial features celery:

• polysaccharides provide anti-inflammatory effect;
• antioxidants protect cells from destruction, prevent the formation of malignant tumors;
• pectins remove toxins, radionuclides, nicotine, alcohol, drugs;
• vitamin C supports the protective function of the body, restores blood flow;
• proteins and fatty acids are easily absorbed, have a positive effect on the digestive function;
• regular use of the product increases libido;
• B vitamins strengthen the walls of blood vessels, normalize blood pressure, lower cholesterol levels, increase hemoglobin;
• the plant has antiallergic, laxative, antiseptic, tonic effect;
• celery reduces swelling, improves memory, prevents the development of Alzheimer's disease;
• regulates metabolism;
• luteolin in the composition of the product relieves inflammation, rejuvenates the body;
• phthalides and polyacetylenes reduce the level of carcinogens;
• celery regulates the menstrual cycle, reduces the unpleasant manifestations of menopause.

Application features

Celery is often included in the menu for slimming and arrange fasting days with him. It is one of the negative calorie foods. This means that the body spends more energy to digest it than it receives. Celery contains fiber, which helps the absorption of other foods.

Celery juice is used for cosmetic purposes - for the preparation of anti-acne and antiseptic agents.

Celery has long been used to eliminate unpleasant odor from the oral cavity. Fresh stems are a natural alternative to toothbrush and floss. Rough and fibrous stems effectively clean teeth and tongue.

An extract is made from celery seeds, which has anesthetic, anti-inflammatory and diuretic effects; it is used in the treatment of infections of the genitourinary system.

A decoction of seeds and freshly squeezed juice from the root are used to treat bursitis.

Celery is widely used in cooking. Fragrant petioles and fresh leaves are eaten fresh with light sauces, added to vegetable, meat, fish, fruit salads, and used to serve alcoholic cocktails. Petioles are suitable for pickling and pickling, making pie filling.

The root is added to salads, stewed and baked, pickled, dried.

The seeds are put in marinades, soups, meat dishes, salads.

A decoction is prepared from the leaves and seeds, and juice is prepared from the roots for use in traditional medicine.

How to recognize lovage

Are celery and lovage the same thing or not? At first glance, it is difficult to distinguish between plants. Experienced gardeners advise paying attention to the color of the leaves: in lovage they are darker, the petioles look thinner. The top leaves of celery and lovage look almost the same and have a similar aroma.

Characteristics of lovage:

• perennial;
• propagates by seeds and rhizome division;
• adapts to any growing conditions;
• plant height reaches 2 m;
• inflorescences are large;
• the smell is spicy, pronounced;
• the taste is pungent, with bitterness.

Read also:

Useful properties and calorie content of rice.

Why is potassium nitrate useful for cucumbers during fruiting?

Similarities and differences of cultures

Plants share common characteristics that lead to confusion:

• are part of the Umbrella family;
• have a similar shape and foliage pattern;
• identical smell;
• the general area of ​​application is traditional medicine, cooking.

The table shows the main differences between the cultures.

Conclusion

Lovage and celery are not the same thing, although the plants belong to the Umbrella family and are similar in appearance. Celery is a unique culture that has no analogues in the world. Sometimes it is put on the same level with ginseng due to its healing properties. Root crops and leaves contain valuable amino acids, carotene, asparagine, nicotinic acid, tyrosine, essential oils. Lovage has a number of medicinal properties and is used more in folk medicine. The leafy part is dried, added to vegetable salads, and the seeds are put in salt for flavor.

The differences relate to the characteristics of cultivation, frost resistance, use in cooking, taste and aroma. In lovage, only the leafy part is used for food, in celery, roots, petioles and foliage are used.Both lovage and celery have medicinal properties that have a beneficial effect on health, appetite, skin, hair and potency.