Amore Amaro

Original photo by: Elena Peabody.

Germander is a Mediterranean plant with a bitter, herbal flavor profile.

Uses

A relative of sage, germander may be used similarly in cooking. It is also used in spirits such as vermouths and bitters.¹ For medicinal purposes, the aerial parts of the plant may be collected, dried, and used.2

Historical context

A woody little plant, mostly thought of as an ornamental, germander was prescribed by medieval physicians for “a wide range of ailments, and over time it became a bitter flavoring in vermouths, bitters, and liqueurs.”³

In her tretise on botanicals, Hildegard von Bingen deemed it unfit for both man and beast, charging, “It diminishes the blood and increases its waste.” She recommends combining it with lard for a light case of scabies but warns that the patient should not as a remedy for too long a time, as the blood will be further weakened and new illness will occur.4 Later in history, Culpepper contradicted this notion, noting the plant’s use in combating a host of ailments including problems of the liver, spleen, kidneys, and against jaundice, dropsy, gout, rheumatism and pains in the limbs.⁵

In modern times, the whole herb is dried and used as a tea. It has a host of actions, including as a “stimulating tonic with diuretic and diaphoretic properties.”⁶

Cultivation

Germander is a shrubby, clump-forming, broadleaf evergreen is native to Western Asia, Europe. It prefers well-drained soil, full sun, and has medium moisture requirements.⁷

Pests

Germander is susceptible to mildew, mites and rust. Hard winters can cause desiccation and death.⁸

References

1. Stewart, Amy. The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World’s Great Drinks (Kindle edition). Chapel Hill: Algonquin Books, 2013 (loc. 2501, 2505).
2. Culpepper, Nicholas. Culpepper’s Color Herbal. David Potterton, ed. New York: Sterling Publishing Company, 1983 (p. 84).
3. Stewart, op. cit. (loc. 2501, 2505).
4. von Bingen, Hildegard. Hildegard’s Healing Plants, from Her Medieval Classic Physica. Bruce W. Hozeski, trans. Boston: Beacon Press, 2001 (p. 116).
5. Culpepper, op. cit. (p. 84).
6. Ibid. (p. 84).
7. Missouri Botanical Garden, “Teucrium chamaedrys.” Accessed September 3, 2019.
8. Ibid.