Lestyan is healthy not only in soup

Description of Lestyán:

Levisticum officinale L.

Celery officinale officinale officinale officinale officinale officinalis officinale

(Old or other familiar names: seed-grass, seed-plant, deli-tree, “vegeta plant – incorrect”, medical lesty, horse-grass, horse-grass, lesty, leustyan, levestichom, levestikom, levestkökökökö, löböstök, soup-stripe, wild parsley, péterkulcs, kaporitea)

Lestyán, also known as medical lestyán, is a frost-tolerant perennial (H – hemocryptophytic) plant that grows up to two metres in height in its second year. Its branched stems have a smooth, shiny surface. Its leaves are oddly pinnately compound, glabrous, glossy, with lower leaves up to 60 cm long, broad, ovate, long-tongued. The leaf blades are indented towards their tips, shiny dark green, the upper leaves of the stem are simpler and smaller. The individual flowers, which form a globose, 8-15-rayed, compound umbellate inflorescence (1-2 arches across), are pale yellow, bisexual.

Yellowish-brown, flattened, with 3 protruding ribs on the back, winged twin catkin fruits 5-7 mm long, flowering in July-August, prone to scarification (catkin fruits are characteristic of apiacea species). Rootstock is ringed, branched, yellowish brown outside, brownish white inside, spongy, 15-20 cm long. It has a distinctive characteristic smell and a pungent sweet taste, reminiscent of parsley.

Occurrence:

Native to southern Europe. It is native to southern Europe. It does not grow in the wild, but its cultivation is (or would be) worthwhile. It is a warm-demanding plant, native to South and West Asia (some descriptions say it originated in Persia). It is found in greater abundance in Liquria, Italy, from where it derives its name (probably) from the Latin word liqusticum. It has spread to temperate areas everywhere, including North America. It can be found in parks, mountain and sumond meadows, pastures up to 1700 m altitude. (Some sources say also in the Alps and Pyrenees.)

Often found on forest edges and water banks.

Part to be collected:

The stems and roots, leaves and fruits of the lestian are collected. See drugs.

Active substances:

Essential oil, sugars and vegetable acids, organic acids (angelic acid, benzoic acid, caffeic acid, malic acid), aromatic and aliphatic acids, 0.5-1% essential oil (alkyl phthalide type compounds, butyl phthalide, butylenephthalide, ligustilide – ligusticin), terpineol, eugenol, carvacrol, polyacetylene, sesquiterpenes, umbelliferone, psoralen, fellandrene, pinene, terpenes, polyene, coumarins, furanocoumarins (bergaptene, xantotoxin). Coumarin causes photosensitivity – photosensitivity.

Drugs:

• Levistici radix (root) – included in VIII Hungarian Pharmacopoeia, min. 4 ml /kg essential oil/raw drug or min. 3 ml/kg essential oil/extracted drug.

Root stem and thick roots often split longitudinally, max. 5 cm in diameter, light brown or greyish brown in colour.

Branched roots, same colour as the rootstock, 1,5 cm thick and up to 25 cm long, with a smooth fracture surface, very broad yellowish-white bark and a narrow brownish-yellow woody body. Drying ratio 4:1 or 6:1 -.

Its essential oil is distilled from the powdered root for 4 hours

• Levistici folium (lestyán leaf) and Levistici fructus (lestyán fruit), Levistici semen (lestyán seed), leaf drying ratio 5:1.

Effect:

• Diuretic (tea mixtures, Species diureticae), for the relief of other urinary complaints The EU has accepted the diuretic effect. No clinical test results, current use is based on literature data and tradition.
• It has also been used in the past as part of tea mixtures with gallstone and urinary scale dissolving properties
• Treatment of painful menstruation (may regulate the strength of menstruation)
• To increase sweating
• Relieve coughing
• Eye compresses for pain
• Gargles for throat and mouth infections
• Syrup for chest complaints and cough relief
• Breath freshener (formerly candy)
• Expectorant
• Edema
• Soothing
• Psoriasis
• Seed boiling (bloating, expulsion of intestinal gases)
• May relieve headaches
• Decoction of its roots can be consumed for cellulite
• According to Hildegard of Bingen, also used for coughs and pain in the neck glands
• For facial redness, acne and freckles (previously)
• A long-used recipe for sore throat: drink a glass of warm milk through the hollow stem of a lesty, reduces pain on swallowing, for hoarseness
• Long recommended for poisonous bites
• Stomach soother
• Antispasmodic
• Antiseptic
• Antibacterial
• Dissolves phlegm
• Strengthens the heart (tea made from the dried roots strengthens a weak “nervous” heart
• Heartburn (folk medicine)
• Lestyanum brandy is an old folk remedy against fever (2 tablespoons of lestyan seeds ground down, steeped in brandy for a few days)
• Good home remedy for alcohol and nicotine poisoning

Use:

• Spice (one of the bases of spice mixtures – in “quick, sachet” soups – vegeta – soup cube)
• Formula, dosage 2 teaspoons of dried root boiled in 2 dl of water, leave to soak for 15-20 minutes.
• Essential oil (Aetheroleum levistici)
• Traditional herbal medicine
• Stomach spices, liquorice spice (ratafia liquor, 2 tablespoons of lestyan seeds soaked for 30 days in 255 ml of brandy, mix with syrup, cinnamon and lemon juice, can be consumed cold or hot)
• In beers
• In house wines
• In bath water to soothe skin irritation (in herbal bubble baths) – a handful of leaves, flowers and seeds
• In deodorants (the decoction of its leaves was used as a “deodorant” – could this be the reason for its amorous properties in the past?)

In the absence of data, not recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women, or under 18 years of age! Increases the risk of bleeding, not recommended for kidney inflammation, urinary tract inflammation or bleeding problems! Consult your doctor before consumption

Use in the kitchen:

• In single meals (the younger the plant the more aromatic, older stems may become hollow)
• In sauces (sauces for poultry – Romanes)
• In sauces
• In herb butter
• Their young leaves in salads (with spinach, chard and peppercorns)
• In egg dishes
• In potato dishes
• In cocktails (e.g. as straws for Bloody Marys)
• In cakes, with the seeds in the shallots
• In breads, pastries
• In tomato dishes
• It can be made into a spicy vinegar
• Seasoning salt (grind the stems and leaves and add to salt and it will take a few days to take on its flavour and fragrance)
• Seeds roasted and added to meats and sausages
• In scrambled eggs
• In stews
• In roast meats (lamb, poultry)
• Stewed meats
• Steamed vegetables
• In dishes made from cottage cheese
• In cheese sandwiches
• Homemade cheeses (e.g. goat’s cheese)
• Fruit surps
• In pickles
• Stuffings (e.g. stuffed duck)
• In rice dishes

Roman recipe: lestyán mixed with honey, dates, coriander, cumin, pepper, mint, chopped onion, the yolk of an egg, vinegar, sweet wine and olla, possibly seeds.

Tip: add its delicate little leaves to the dish in the last ten minutes, because they don’t cook down and you can enjoy the fullness of its aroma! Be careful because of its intense aroma!

Cultivation:

Prefers a deep, nutrient-rich, friable texture, medium-textured, moist soil (good water supply, but not stagnant water!). Cultivation is by sowing seeds and division. The seeds are sown in spring in open ground beds (4-5 degrees are sufficient for germination), and the mature seedlings are planted out in September at 50 cm row spacing for seedling production. Propagation by division is carried out in autumn (October). The seed requirement is 300 grams per acre and 20,000 seedlings per acre. Yield per acre is 8 – 10 q (mazsa) of dry root.

Seeds are worth sowing in July-August, immediately after they mature. The crop retains its germination capacity for 2-3 years. Prefers sun to light shade, requires shade in hot summer areas. The amount of light affects the quantity and quality of the essential oil, the more light you get, the higher the essential oil content will be. (If you keep watering and don’t let the soil dry out, the strong aroma may be reduced!) It makes good use of the deeper soil water table. do not grow in the same place for more than 4 years due to pests and pathogens!

Its leaves are not cold tolerant, only tolerating minus 1-2 degrees, but its roots can overwinter in colder temperatures.

• High nutritional requirements, do not plant in a direct organically fermented place!
• Underneath the preplant
• Propagation used to be by seedlings, but too expensive, by sowing in situ under winter, 1 – (max) 3 cm, but preferably 1-1,5 cm deep, 50-60 cm row spacing, 10-12 kg seed/ha
• Cold tolerant, but mostly Scotch broom tolerates cold Levisticum scoticum

Plant protection:

• Fusicladiate scab (Passalora depressa) – leaf surface withered mottling – mostly between emergence and seed maturation
• Leaf aphids – spread viruses
• Powdery mildew
• Ramularia schroeteri (Ramularia schroeteri) – spots black on the outside, yellowish brown inside
• Caterpillars of ditch moths
• Leaf wasp larvae
• Slugs
• Peronospora

Care:

• Ridge scraping (mechanical plant protection, usually 2-4 times a year)
• Irrigation during drought (150-200ml)
• Removal of flower stems emerging in the first year if root dope is the target

Harvesting:

• Root fertilizer in the 2nd year end of September, beginning of October – with a rudderless plough or root extractor, foliage must be removed first
• Essential oil, green, harvested in seeded state

Yield:

• 1,5-2 tonnes/ha – dry root yield
• 1,5-1,8 tonnes/ha – leaf dry matter

Storage:

• Dried (leaf, root, seed – kept away from light and humidity, in a sealable container, preferably airtight)
• Candied (stem), blanched or steamed
• Refrigerated (leaves for 1 week)
• Refrigerated/frozen (even in ice cube trays)
• In water (leaves, max. 1 week)
• Russians use the roots to make sugar or jam

Collection and drying:

• Leaves and stems (May-July) – 30-40 degrees
• Seeds (August-September)
• Roots (October-November) – 40-50 degrees in a dehydrator

The rootstock is collected by the roots from the second year of the plant up to the fourth year, in the spring or autumn months. The root-parts are sliced into small pieces and dried under mild heat or in an airy attic. Coumarins can cause photosensitivity, so plant protection gloves are recommended when harvesting! Leaves should be collected before flowering as they can become bitter afterwards.

Inexperienced people may even confuse it with the deer lettuce (Smyrnium olusatrum), which looks more like angelica.

Processing and marketing:

In our country, it is used as a medicine, mainly in folk medicine and as an ingredient in various tea blends.

• Primary processing: root cleaning (removal of soil residues, other plant parts)
• Root cut in 2-4 halves
• Drying at 40-50 degrees
• Stems can also be candied, as for angelica, and blanched, as for reberberbera

History:

In Charlemagne’s Capitulare de villis decree in 808, where its root is mentioned for its healing properties and made its cultivation compulsory in monastery gardens – the Roman Emperor also ordered its cultivation. Since the Middle Ages, it has also been found in peasant courtyards. Its cultivation probably dates back to the first century BC and it was introduced to Europe by Benedictine monks. It was used by the ancient Greeks and Romans for medicinal and culinary purposes, and according to some sources it was brought to Pannonia by Roman soldiers and cultivated there. It was also cultivated as a herb in Egypt, where it was learned by the Greeks and later by the Romans. It was also popular in our country in the Middle Ages.

It was also a very popular plant in monastery gardens, where it was used to make heart tonics, as a refreshment and diuretic. It was also used to make aphrodisiacs and potions, hence one of its English names: ‘love ache’. It was believed to have a secret power, and anyone who carried a single sprig could expect great success with the opposite sex. Travellers often put it in their boots to absorb moisture and odours. Its roots were candied and made into bad breath candy in New England.

Among the first plants brought to America by the first settlers, it still grows to this day in Thomas Jefferson’s home in Monticello. in 1775, Dr Samuel Jonhson was afflicted with rheumatism, the medicines he prescribed were as much a strain as the disease itself, so he rinsed the medicine with the decocted root of a lestyan each time.

Veterinarians used it for coughs in small sows and sheep, and in Transylvania to ward off evil spirits.

Source:

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