Lovage - friend or foe?

[marthasnan]

Help please!
Can anyone tell me if they have ever had any sort of reaction to overhandling Lovage?
I've been clearing out our giant lovage patch at the allotment today and although I was wearing gloves, I have come home and been sick and quite breathless for a time.
I'm fine now, but wondered if the plant may have caused some sort of reaction - I seem to remember reading an article about this somewhere.

[SarzWix]

I've not a had a reaction, but my Lovage plant is only tiny at the moment... I'd be interested to hear if I should be wary around it when it's a 'grown-up' ! Have you tried a Google search?

The only 'reaction' I can come up with is photosensitivity which is more a skin reaction than anything else... Do you suffer with hayfever? Or asthma? Could be that you've breathed in some pollen inadvertantly?

[Nicos]

It is a problem for some people Marthasnan.
I can't go near foxglove for the same reason ( and also get a really metallic taste with it), although that is one of the more common plants to react to.

I just googled lovage and allergic reactions, and is certainly one which is listed, along with carrots, onions, celery, apples....my father always said ' too much of a good thing can't be good for you' !! ( even if you did GYO!!!!!)
Gloves next time- or is the job done now???

[Earthbabe]

I know you can get a bad skin reaction to parsnip leaves and the two are related so it would make sense. However some people are more prone to an asthma type reaction. If so you may need to consider wearing a mask if you need to do the same job again. You may find the fine dust masks they sell in hardware stores adequate.

If not you will have to limit your exposure and possibley take care when eating it to ensure you have not oversensitised yourself.

[multiveg]

My lovage is lethal - its by the dalek in the back garden and what with the rain, it has blown over a bit. I get stabbed by the bent stems on the way to emptying kitchen peelings and beer/slug yogurt pots.

[JazzDuke]

Borage leaves can certainly cause skin irritation. I know it's completely different but because of slightly similar spelling people often confuse the two.