Chives

Parts Usually Used

The aerial parts, above the ground

Description of Plant(s) and Culture

Chives are hardy perennials; grow in clumps of small white bulbous roots that send off numerous fine, grass-like, hollow green spears. The root bulbs develop in clusters; they send up a thin stalk on which appear in early summer a lavender blossom that is actually a cluster of tiny blooms. Seeds follow the flowers. Some gardeners say chives repel Japanese beetles and black spot on roses, scab on apples, and mildew on cucubits; this has not been proven.

Where Found

Found all over Europe, East Asia, the Orient, and from the Caucasus right up to Siberia.

Medicinal Properties

Stimulant, diuretic, tonic

Biochemical Information

Mustard oil

Legends, Myths and Stories

Chives are an ancient herb brought to the West from China by Marco Polo. One of the French fines herbes, chives possess a delicate onion flavor and are an important addition to a kitchen garden. In centuries past people hung chives in their homes, from ceilings and bedposts, to ward off evil and disease. First discovered in China 5000 years ago, chives later became popular in Europe not only for their subtle onion flavor but because of the widespread belief that their grasslike leaves chase away evil spirits and disease.

Chives contain a large amount of mustard oil which gives them their sharp taste. Garlic chives are chives with a mild garlic flavor. They are called Chinese chives (A. tuberosum) or they can use the same name as ordinary chives. Also known as Oriental garlic, Chinese leeks, and gow choy. They are taller than regular chives, with numerous star shaped white flowers that appear in late summer and early fall.

Garlic chives are used in Oriental dishes to give them their characteristic flavor.

Uses

Historical herbalists utilized chives to stimulate the appetite and support digestion. Traditional practices also recommended the plant for anemia, as a blood purifier, and to help clear phlegm associated with catarrh.

How Sold

At the supermarket, dried in the spice section

Bibliography

Country Home Book of Herbs , Meredith Books, Editorial Dept. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H.

Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974