The Mediterranean diet is touted to be one of the healthiest diets in the world.  I think it is reasonable to say that the inclusion of rosemary into this diet could be one of the contributing factors to it being so healthy.  

Rosemary has been considered a “cure-all” medicinal herb throughout the ages.  It helps build health and well being in a variety of ways throughout the human being.

Rosemary is native to the warm rocky coastlines of the mediterranean sea, both on the Southern European and Northern African coasts.  It has naturalized throughout most of Europe and is cultivated throughout the world.

Rosemary’s botanical name was Rosmarinus officinalis.  Recently it has been changed to Salvia rosmarinus, which places it in the same genus as sage.  The name Rosmarinus is derived from Latin, meaning Dew (ros) of the Sea (marinus).

History:

Rosemary and humans have a long history together that is steeped in magic, medicine, food, and ceremony.

Humans have known that rosemary strengthens memory and awakens the mind for a long time.  I believe, as long as humans have known rosemary, they have known the benefits it has on the mind.  The effects are immediate upon, simply, smelling the plant.

Students in ancient Greece would wear rosemary garlands around their neck and sprigs braided into their hair to enhance their ability to study and learn.  It is said, they slept with it under their pillows to improve their memory in their sleep.

Rosemary was traditionally used in ceremony, as a symbol of love, friendship, and remembrance.

Early Europeans commonly threw sprigs of rosemary into graves during funeral ceremonies, as a symbol that the dead would live on in their memories. 

In ancient Egypt rosemary was placed in tombs to remember the dead, used in the bouquets for funeral ceremonies, and utilized in the embalming process.  

Rosemary was also common in wedding ceremonies, thought to help couples remember their  wedding vows and stay faithful to each other.  It was commonly entwined in the bride’s head wreath, incorporated in bouquets, and given as gifts to the guests as a symbol of friendship.

One of the oldest incenses in Southern Europe, useful for clearing space and the mind before and during religious ceremonies and holidays celebrations.

It has strewn on the floors of French churches and cathedrals, allowing the scent to be released as people crushed the leaves underfoot.  It was also burned as incense in churches and to sanitize hospital air in France.  On Old French name for rosemary, is Incensier, because it was commonly used as an incense herb.

Rosemary was thought (and still is, by many) to hold powers of protection, love, lust, mental strength, exorcism, purification, healing, sleep, and youth.

I was traditionally used as a charm of protection, when carried on a person or placed in an entryway or under a bed.

There is a story that the Virgin Mary sought protection from a rosemary shrub, hiding from herb enemies on her travels to Egypt.  It is said that she hung her blue cloak on the shrub to help her stay hidden and when she removed the cloak, the flowers had turned from white to blue.  This is how, it is said, that rosemary got her name.  Establishing her as the Rose of Mary.

In Italy and Spain, it was thought to be a safe guard against witches.  This is code for it being an herb that the wise women (later called witches) favored.  It was believed that in a home where Rosemary flourished, a woman who held power resided.  This led to many a men, harming rosemary plants that grew in their gardens, to prove that they were the head of the household, not their wives.

Gypsies of the mediterranean, filled small pillows with rosemary leaves to protect against nightmares, especially for children.

Medicinal properties:

Rosemary was not only useful in ceremony, but it was also a highly esteemed medicinal plant, being called a “cure-all” because it affected so many parts of human health.

Rosemary is still considered to be a wonderful herbal medicine and culinary delight and is adored by many herbalists and chefs, alike.

Rosemary has warming, stimulating, and dispersing actions on many parts of the body, including the heart, blood, liver, nerves, utereus, lungs, and brain.

It is considered to be antispasmodic, stimulant, tonic, astringent, diaphoretic, carminative, antimicrobial, diuretic, bitter, bronchodilator, and decongestant in action.

Cardiovascular Health:

Rosemary is a heart tonic.   

It improves the health of the cardiovascular system by increasing circulation to the extremeties.  This is helpful to anyone who has chronically cold hands and feet.  It also has the ability to strengthen fragile blood vessels, therefore, it is helpful for people with spider veins and varicose veins

It can be helpful for these conditions with both internal and external preparations including tea, baths, infused oils, and tinctures.

Rosemary has a modulating effect on blood pressure.  It can lower high blood pressure, and yet it also has the ability to raise low blood pressure.  In this case it is effective against fainting and weakness when associated with deficient circulation.

Mental Health:

As Rosemary promotes circulation through the body, it increases the supply of blood, nutrients, and oxygen to the head and brain.  This improves brain function, energy levels, concentration, memory, clarity, hair growth and eases vasoconstrictive headaches and migraines.

Rosemary improves short term memory and is possibly helpful in preventing and addressing Alzheimer’s disease.

Inhaling the scent of rosemary lifts depression, stimulates the mind and senses, and awakens the spirit.  The scent can be accessed by rubbing the leaves of a living plant, crushing dried leaves in a potpourri sachet, and infusing fresh or dried leaves in oil.

Immune Health:

Rosemary’s high content of volatile oils fight bacterial, viral, and fungal infections.

There is a tradition of rubbing rosemary onto meat, to help preserve it before refrigeration, due to its strong anti-microbial action.

Rosemary has been shown to inhibit viruses, including HIV.

A tea of rosemary makes an astringent and antiseptic gargle to ease sore throats, gum inflammation, and canker sores.  Powder of the dry leaves can be added to toothpowder, a replacement for toothpaste.

Nervous System Health:

Rosemary is a nervine, which is a tonic to the nervous system

The volatile oils in rosemary offer topical relief for tense and painful muscles, joint pain, gout, rheumatic pains, sciatica, and neuralgia.

Rosemary can be applied topically to painful areas in a variety of preparations, including ointment, salve, liniment, bath, and oil.

Rosemary has been used to treat epilepsy and vertigo, by supporting the nervous system.

Rosemary is helpful for people dealing with fatigue, exhaustion, debility, and stress.  Ways to work with rosemary for these problems include smelling it, drinking it in tea or infused vinegar (diluted), or taking a tincture.

Digestive Health:

Rosemary is an herb with bitter and warming qualities, both beneficial to digestion and liver health. Bitter herbs get our digestive processes and liver functions primed for action.

The volatile oils in rosemary are antispasmodic, carminative, and promote bile production and release.  This makes it a wonderful after dinner tea to help relieve gas, bloating, and cramping and to aid in digesting fats.

Rosemary may lower blood glucose levels.  For people who are on drugs that do the same and decide to take medicinal quantities of rosemary (more than in cooking), they should measure their blood sugar levels regularly and adjust as needed, which they likely are already doing.

Rosemary supports the liver.  It has been shown to increase the production of liver enzymes useful in metabolism and elimination of unwanted metabolites, up to 4 times.

Urinary Health:

Rosemay has a mild diuretic action, relieving edema and swelling in the feet.  It has the potential to inhibit kidney and bladder stone formation.

Antioxidant Abilities:

Rosemary is a powerful antioxidant, protecting our bodies against oxidative stress (aka rapid aging).

It is antioxidant against arteriosclerosis, cancer, and other oxidative diseases.

Rosemary has been shown to inhibit a number of processes in the body that fuel tumor growth.  It also helps the body to destroy cancer cells.

According to Rutgers university, rosemary inhibited the growth processes of tumor cells up to 99%.  There are multiple constituents in rosemary that are effective against tumor growth.  Because of this, it was most effective as a whole plant extract versus extracts of individual constituents.

 Respiratory Health:

Rosemary eases coughs, clears excess mucous in the sinuses and chest, fight viruses and bacteria that affect the lungs and cause bronchitis. 

Rosemary has traditionally been a smoking herb, often combined with coltsfoot leaves, to relieve asthma, bronchitis, and sore throats.

Rosemary tea, steam, syrup, and tincture could also be beneficial ways to ingest it, to benefit of the lungs.

Hair and Skin Health:

Rosemary is a classic tonic for hair and skin.  

Both of the antioxidant and astringent qualities of rosemary make it a lovely skin treatment, tightening tissues and preventing oxidative damage and rapid aging.

A classic historical topical preparation of rosemary for skin is Queen of Hungary Water, which has a fun history and lots of folklore around it.  It was basically an alcohol-based topical preparation of rosemary that was claimed as a cure-all and reversed the aging of skin.

Rosemary can be applied in topical preparations to help wounds of all kinds, including bites and stings to heal and to fight infection.

Rosemary has been shown to decrease UV damage to skin, when taken both internally and externally.

It protects the scalp and hair, especially during radiation therapy.  It has the ability to prevent unnatural or premature hair loss.

Rosemary infused oil can be dropped onto the scalp and massaged into the skin to improve the health of the skin and hair follicles.  This treatment increases circulation to the area, moisturizes and improves the integrity of the hair, prevents premature hair loss, eliminates and prevents dandruff.

Rosemary can improve hair sheen as a rinse of diluted rosemary infused vinegar or/and or rosemary tea.

Anti-inflammatory:

Rosemary has multiple constituents that have shown significant anti-inflammatory action through COX-2 inhibition.  This is the same path that NSAIDS reduce inflammation.  The difference is rosemary does not cause stomach ulcers.

Restorative: 

Rosemary is beneficial for people who are recovering from long term stress, chronic illness, mild to moderate depression, chronic fatigue, adrenal exhaustion, and failure to thrive.

It is especially helpful in cases of debility that are accompanied by poor circulation and poor digestion.

Herbal Preparations:

Rosemary is best prepared as a whole leave extract, so that as many of its beneficial constituents are harnessed, as possible.  

There are many ways that rosemary can be prepared for medicinal benefit including a bath, foot bath, steam, infused honey, ointment, infused oil, infused vinegar, tincture, mouth wash and gargle, toothpowder, compress, poultice, incense, smoke, potpourri, moth repellant sachet, dream pillow, and in cooking.

Growth:

 Rosemary is easy to grow and source.  In warm climates it is a perennial that grows to be large shrubs.  In colder climates, it can be overwintered in pots inside for the winter, and then brought back outside and planted in gardens in warmer seasons.  It can grow in containers year round on city stoops and balconies.  It can easily be found in garden nurseries and as fresh and dried leaves in most grocery stores.

 Final words:

 f you have been reading the solidago newsletters lately, you are likely seeing a thread between herbs and spices that we commonly use in cooking.  Many of them have the abilities to not only keep food from spoiling (especially historically) but they also aid in digestion.  Both of these qualities are due to the volatile oils in the plants, which also imbibe them with their wonderful smells and tastes.

 Rosemary is a very accessible herb and it is apparent why it has been considered a “cure-all” herb for centuries.  I invite you to bring rosemary into your life and have some fun with it in more ways than seasoning your food.