Latin Name Rosmarinus
officinalis
Growing, Cultivation,
and Harvest
Rosemary is very difficult to grow from seed, your best bet
is getting a starter plant from the nursery. There are different cultivars to
choose from, differences mainly in flower color and growth habits. All are
wonderful, perennial bushy plants that provide green, resinous leaves to cook
and heal with.
Choose a sheltered spot with full sun and well-drained soil.
Rosemary tolerates clipping well and can be easily pruned into a pleasing
shape. If there is ever a danger of freezing, the plant should be brought
indoors until the danger has passed, but make sure it gets plenty of sun while
indoors and take care not to over water. Sometimes a rosemary will appear to
die after it has been brought indoors but will perk up when it is taken out
again.
The leaves can be plucked, or the branches cut at any time.
Rosemary likes regular pruning.
Rosemary is a good companion plant
for cabbage, beans, sage and carrots. It helps to keep
away moths, bean beetles and carrot flies.
The Science of the
Active Ingredients
* Analgesic * AntiCancer *
Antioxidant * Antirheumatic * Antispasmodic * AntiViral *
Aromatic * Astringent * Carminative * Cholagogue *
Cicatrisant * Circulation * Cordial * Diaphoretic/sudorific *
Diuretic * Emmenagogue * Hepatic * Hypertensive * Insect
repellents * Muscle Relaxant * Nervine * Rubefacient * Skin
tonic * Stimulant * Stomachic
Antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds
Rosemary is a rich source of antioxidants and
anti-inflammatory compounds, which are thought to help boost the immune system
and improve blood circulation.
Laboratory studies have shown rosemary to be rich in
antioxidants, which play an important role in neutralizing harmful particles
called free radicals.
How to Take
For topical
applications a rosemary-infused oil is best. Strip the leaves from
the sprigs and bruise them slightly to release the oils. You can do this with a
rolling pin. Pack a jar loosely with rosemary leaves and cover with olive oil.
Place the jar in a window and let infuse for 3 to 5 weeks; the heat of the sun
will help release the rosemary oils. Strain the leaves off and pack the oil in
a clean jar. To boost the healing powers even more, add several drops of
rosemary essential oil.
A rosemary tea is
even easier and can be used for everything from headaches to indigestion.
Simply steep a sprig or two of rosemary in a pot of boiling water for several
minutes. Strain and enjoy. A great hair rinse can be made in this manner; just
remember to cool it before pouring it on your head.
Health Benefits
According to studies found in the Journal of Neurochemistry
and Nature Reviews Neuroscience, rosemary’s active component carsonic acid (CA)
can actually protect the brain from
damage, including that caused by strokes and degeneration due to toxins and
free radicals.
The Greeks may have also realized the stress-busting powers of the
plant. Modern research has shown that nurses exposed to rosemary oil scent
before taking exams exhibited far less test anxiety. It’s been suggested that
the smell of rosemary essential oils can actually reduce cortisol levels;
cortisol is known as the stress hormone.
But, it isn’t only the smell of rosemary that is healing;
rosemary health benefits even dip into the topical-arena.
Infused in an oil and applied to the skin, there is evidence
that rosemary can stop hair loss.
It can also be used to treat
muscle pain and arthritis, reducing inflammation while improving
circulation. It is useful on skin afflictions like bruises and eczema too.
Finally, rosemary preparations (like tea) can be taken
internally. Digestive problems and
headaches can easily be soothed with this simple stove-top remedy.
Many of rosemary’s medicinal benefits are due to its
antioxidant qualities, protecting the cells from damage by toxins and
free-radicals. The health benefits of rosemary include:
- Reducing anxiety, elevating mood
- Boosting memory
- Brain protection
- Calming effects
- Pain relief
- Headache relief
- Protects against DNA damage
- Arthritis treatment, anti-inflammatory
- Skin tonic
- Hair tonic
- Digestion soother
- Immune booster
- Improving circulation
- Detoxifying the liver
- Cancer
prevention (due to containing carnosol, a compound found to have
anti-cancer properties)
Uses
Rosemary is one of those herbs with a thousand uses. It's
extremely hardy and therefore easy to grow and maintain inside or out. Indoors,
it requires lots of light but not too much heat and humid air. Spritz the plant with water a few
times a week. Add an entire sprig to vegetable soups for a bright, unique
flavor.
Fresh rosemary can be refrigerated in
a Ziploc bag for several weeks; dried rosemary should be kept in an airtight
container in a cool, dark, and dry place to keep for several months.
To make your own rosemary-infused oil, place a sprig or two
of completely dry rosemary leaves into a glass jar, top with olive oil, replace
the lid, and shake lightly. Store in a warm, dark place for two weeks, strain,
and then simply pour back into the glass jar. Use ¼ cup for a fragrant bath or
blend with balsamic vinegar to drizzle all over a salad for a delicious
dressing.
Spiritual Folklore
Gender-Masculine
Planet Association: Sun
Element: Fire
Deity Association-Venus
Sign: Leo
The word Rosmarinus is from the Latin
meaning "dew of the sea".
Christian folklore says that rosemary will grow for 33
years, until it reaches the height Christ was when he died, and then it will
grow no more. Apparently, Rosemary's flowers picked up their blue color and
acquired their fragrance when Mary spread her blue cloak over a
rosemary bush to dry while they were on their way fleeing to Egypt.
Rosemary is also associated with Aphrodite and
appears in many ancient images of Her.
Rosemary was used to ward off evil spirits and nightmares.
The wood was used to make musical instruments.
Rosemary branches were often woven into wreaths worn by
brides at weddings and decorated rosemary branches were presented as gifts to
wedding guests. In Wales, it was distributed to funeral guests to throw into
the hole as the coffin was lowered.
Rosemary was also given as a gift for New Year's Day,
along with an orange, stuck with cloves and it was used with holly and
mistletoe to decorate for Yule.
An old saying says "Where Rosemary flourishes, the
Woman rules" and in England it was believed that rosemary could not grow
in the garden of the home unless the mistress was the master.
In France, Rosemary was burnt, along with Juniper berries
in sick rooms and hospitals to purify the air.
During the Middle Ages, it was hung around the neck to
protect from the plague. Carrying a twig protected from the evil eye.
Rosemary is believed to attract faerie and good
energies. Rosemary in twigs hung over cradles prevented faeries from stealing
infants.
A man who is indifferent to the fragrance of rosemary is
unable to give true love to a woman and those who smell rosemary frequently
will retain their youth.
It was an embalming herb and sacred in Egypt. It was also a
sacred herb to the Greeks.
Rosemary can be used in spells for fidelity and remembrance
as well as to dispel jealousy.
Rosemary is useful for ritual baths, and for making
sacred herbal water for ritual cleansing, blessing and purification. Bathing in
rosemary will enhance your memory and will make you more memorable to those you
meet throughout the day.
Use rosemary’s energy to enhance memory, including for
success in school. Also use to retain youth and burn as incense when you are
meditating or doing dream work to remember your past lives.
Place rosemary under your pillow to help you to remember
your dreams and to keep away nightmares and other unwanted nighttime
visitations.
Rosemary may be used in handfasting ceremonies in
a variety of ways. It can be carried or worn by the bride and/or groom to
symbolize love and loyalty and it may also be gifted to guests for the same
purpose. If a bride and groom plant a rosemary plant together on their wedding
day, they can watch it as it grows to divine the family's fortune.
If you haven't chosen a mate yet and have several to think
about, name a pot for each one and plant rosemary in each pot. The one that
grows the fastest and strongest is your best choice. If you don't have any
options, make a poppet of yourself and stuff it with rosemary to attract a
lover to you. You can also do this to attract healing energy.
Burn rosemary and juniper together to aid with
healing, and to fumigate a home where there has been a long illness
to drive out the negativity associated with disease. It can also be burned
with sage to fumigate a ritual area or to drive negativity
away from any space, object or person.
Wear Rosemary oil on those occasions that you want to make a
lasting impression.
Contraindications
Rosemary is usually safe when taken in low doses. However,
extremely large doses can trigger serious side effects, although this is rare.
Side effects include:
- vomiting
- spasms
- coma
- pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs)
High doses of rosemary may cause miscarriage; therefore it
is not advisable for pregnant women to take any supplemental rosemary.
Rosemary can affect the activity of some medications,
including:
- Anticoagulant drugs - including blood-thinning medications, such as Warfarin, Aspirin, and Clopidogrel.
- ACE inhibitors - which are used for treating high blood pressure. They include lisinopril (Zestril), fosinopril (Monopril), captpril (Capoten), and elaropril (Vasotec).
- Diuretics - such as hydrocholorothiazide and furosemide (Lasix), which increase the passing of urine.
- Lithium - which is used to treat the manic episodes of manic depression. Rosemary can act as a diuretic, and subsequently cause lithium to reach toxic levels in the body
Aspirin allergy. Rosemary contains a chemical that is
very similar to aspirin. This chemical, known a as salicylate, may cause a
reaction in people who are allergic to aspirin.
Bleeding disorders: Rosemary might increase the risk of bleeding and bruising in people with bleeding disorders. Use cautiously.
Seizure disorders: Rosemary might make seizure disorders worse. Don’t use it.
Bleeding disorders: Rosemary might increase the risk of bleeding and bruising in people with bleeding disorders. Use cautiously.
Seizure disorders: Rosemary might make seizure disorders worse. Don’t use it.
Recipes
This is the easiest rosemary tea recipe and takes a short
time to make. Ingredients you need are for 2 cups of tea:
- 1 to 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 1- 1,5 tsp. of dried rosemary.
- 3 tsp. of raw honey or maple syrup
- 2 cups of boiling water or 500ml of cold tap water if you brew tea in a saucepan.
You need to break the rosemary into small pieces and then
you can make rosemary tea with honey in two simple ways. The first way is
brewing rosemary as the normal tea. You can put rosemary pieces into boiling water for 8 minutes. As other
herbs, rosemary needs a long time steeping. Then you can add some honey and
decorate it with some fresh rosemary.
The second way is to boil or simmer rosemary in the sauce
pan for a stronger rosemary taste. You can boil rosemary small pieces with
water and honey to slowly boiling. Then when it boiled, reduce the heat and
simmer for five minutes. Your rosemary tea is ready after five minutes. If you
want stronger rosemary taste you can press the rosemary against the side of the
pan to extract the juices.
Rosemary milk tea
Rosemary tea with milk looks nice and tastes very good and
refreshing. 1 cup of milk (250 ml)
- 1 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. of dried rosemary
- 1 tsp. of honey or maple syrup
Break the rosemary into four pieces then put three of the
pieces into a saucepan and add the milk. Bring slowly to the boil and reduce
the heat to simmer rosemary for five minutes. Simmering the tea will need your
patience as you have to stir the milk continuously in five minutes. If you
don't stir the and check it carefully, the heat can burn the milk easily and
your rosemary tea will have the smoky taste.
Before serving it you can press the rosemary against the
side for stronger tea taste. Then strain the drink and discard the rosemary and
decorated with the reserved rosemary floating on top. The rosemary tea with
milk can bring you lots of energy and refresh you after a hard working day. You
can also make it in the morning too but maybe I do not do that. Instead of
that, I would love to have a cup of hot milk with 1 or 2 tsp. of honey. Hot
milk with honey also can energize and wake up you. This hot drink might be
better than a cup of coffee if you have sleepless or bad sleeping
night.
Rosemary, ginger, and lemon peels
- 1 small bunch of rosemary
- 1 inch of ginger, you can slice ginger into small pieces or press it if you like a stronger ginger taste.
- Peels of ½ lemon (I zest the yellow part of lemon peel to make tea as it contains many antioxidant ingredients.)
- 2 cups of boiling water
- 2 tsp. of honey or maple syrup
Put all ingredients in a pot at the same time and brew with
boiling water 8 minutes. If you need stronger taste you also can boil it in a
sauce pan and simmer it for 6 minutes as it is an ideal time to brew ginger.
Strain the tea and add more honey if you like sweeter herbal tea. This herbal
tea formula is good as all ingredients contain rich sources of antioxidant and
vital minerals. The tea also can release cold, flu-like symptoms, bronchitis
and clear phlegm.
Mediterranean Rosemary tea with thyme, sage, cinnamon and honey
This original recipe is the Mediterranean wine recipe but I
change it into the nonalcoholic recipe. I hope you like it as I do. Ingredients
for a cup of rosemary tea are:
- 500 ml of cold tap water (2 cups)
- 2 large sprigs of rosemary or 1 Tablespoon dried
- 1 tsp. of sage
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 cinnamon bark or ½ tsp. of cinnamon ground
- 2 tsp. of honey or maple syrup
Homemade Vapor Rub Salve Recipe
1 cup of coconut oil (or preferred high heat oil)
1/4 - 1/8 cup of beeswax pellets (depends on how firm or creamy you like your salve)
25 drops each of: eucalyptus essential oil, rosemary essential oil, and lavender essential oil.
25 drops each of: eucalyptus essential oil, rosemary essential oil, and lavender essential oil.
Over low heat, heat up your oil and slowly disperse beeswax pellets a little at a time until melted completely. Pour into your container, add essential oils and stir. Let sit on the counter and set up. Use as needed.
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