Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), rich in flavour and legend, has been with us since the dawn of mankind, keeping us healthy and adding to the joys of life. It has a very old reputation for improving memory, dating back to the Greeks, who believed that it strengthened the blood and the memory. It became the emblem for remembrance and was used at weddings, war commemorations and funerals. Take a step back in time to savour the romance around Rosemary and discover how to gain from all its benefits.

Rosemary is an attractive evergreen shrub, with narrow, needle-like dark green leaves.

Its trusses of blue flowers appear throughout spring and summer. Always an attractive garden shrub, it tolerates some degree of drought. It is a popular and successful plant for landscaping, and enjoys being clipped back, making it a reliable plant for topiary. The fact that it is a native plant of the northern shores of the Mediterranean sea, it therefore enjoys a Mediterranean climate – which is a dry summer and wet winter – so it should not be overwatered in summer, if grown in a summer rainfall climate. It is easy to grow by beginner gardeners, enjoys full sun, should be kept trimmed to stop it getting straggly, and it is pest-resistant. It will grow to a height of between 1-1.5 meters, although there are varieties that are miniature, low-growing, or trailing, and there are varieties with white or pink flowers. Rosemary can be grown in pots.

The botanical name Rosmarinus is derived from the Latin ros (dew) and marinus (sea) and it was referred to as the 'dew of the sea' or ‘sea dew'. When observed from a distance the pale blue flowers coating the bushes look like a layer of blue dew. There are many other versions of the interpretation of the name Rosmarinus.

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Steeped in legends

The plant was linked to many legends from biblical days. Some say that the Virgin Mary rested next to a rosemary bush during the flight to Egypt, and spread her cloak over the bush. From that moment the white flowers turned to the soft blue that we know. Another legend says that rosemary will grow for thirty-three years, until it reaches the height of Christ before he died, then it too will die. It was believed that placing a sprig of rosemary under a pillow before sleep would repel nightmares, evil spirits and bad dreams, and if placed outside the home it would repel witches. Somehow, the use of rosemary in the garden to repel witches turned into a signification that the woman ruled the household in homes and gardens where rosemary grew abundantly. By the 16th century this practice became a bone of contention and men were known to rip out rosemary bushes to show that they, not their wives, ruled the roost.

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Revered for remembrance

Rosemary has a very old reputation for improving memory, dating back to the Greeks, who believed that it strengthened the blood and the memory. It became the emblem for remembrance and was used at weddings, war commemorations and funerals, long acknowledged since in Europe and Australia. Mourners would throw it into graves as a symbol of remembrance for the dead. In Shakespeare's Hamlet, Ophelia says, "There's rosemary, that's for remembrance." (Hamlet, iv. 5.) (One modern study lends some credence to this reputation, as it does have blood vessel expanding properties which will improve the blood flow to the brain.) In Romeo and Juliette, Juliette's body was borne to the chapel covered in rosemary.

In the middle ages, rosemary was associated with wedding ceremonies - the bride would wear a rosemary headpiece and the groom and wedding guests would all wear a sprig of rosemary, and from this association with weddings rosemary evolved into a love charm. It became a symbol of remembrance, love and friendship, and was carried by wedding couples as a sign of their love and fidelity. Newlywed couples would plant a branch of rosemary on their wedding day. If the branch grew it was a good omen for the union and their family. In ‘ A Modern Herbal', Mrs Grieves says “ A rosemary branch, richly gilded and tied with silken ribbons of all colours, was also presented to wedding guests, as a symbol of love and loyalty .” Another example of rosemary's use as a love charm was that a young person would tap another with a rosemary sprig and if the sprig contained an open flower, it was said that the couple would fall in love. Rosemary was used as a divinatory herb. Several types of herbs were grown in pots and assigned the name of a potential lover. They were left to grow and the plant that grew the strongest and fastest gave the answer.

Rosemary was also stuffed into ‘ poppets' (cloth dolls) in order to attract a lover, or to attract curative vibrations for illness.

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Age-old trusted medicinal

Rosemary was valued over the centuries as a proven heart tonic – useful for the treatment of high and low blood pressure, impure blood, headaches and nervous ailments, particularly neuralgia, and a torpid liver. Rosemary infused wine, when taken in small quantities, acts as a quieting cordial for a weak heart subject to palpitations, and relieved the accompanying dropsy by stimulating the kidneys.

Rosemary is still used as a tonic, astringent, diaphoretic & stimulant. The ‘Oil of Rosemary ' has carminative properties and is an excellent stomachic and nervine. It is a good remedy for headaches caused by feeble circulation, as it stimulates the brain and nervous system.

It is employed externally, as spiritus Rosmarini, in hair-lotions, for its pleasant odour and its beneficial effect in stimulating the hair-follicles to renewed activity, and preventing premature baldness. An infusion of the dried plant (both leaves and flowers) combined with borax and used when cold, makes one of the best hair washes known. It forms an effectual remedy for the prevention of scurf and dandruff.

Hungary water, used as an external application to renovate the vitality of paralysed limbs, was first invented for the Queen of Hungary, who was said to have been completely cured by its continued use. The formula dating back to 1235 was said to be in the handwriting of Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary. It was prepared by putting “ 1.5 lbs of fresh rosemary tops in full flower into 1 gallon of spirits of wine”, this was allowed to stand for four days and then distilled. Hungary water was also considered very efficacious against gout in the hands and feet, being rubbed into them vigorously.

Rosemary and Coltsfoot leaves are considered good when rubbed together and smoked for asthma and other affections of the throat and lungs. Rosemary is also one of the ingredients used in the preparation of Eau-de-Cologne.

The young tops, leaves and flowers made into an infusion, rosemary tea, which, taken warm, is recommended as a good remedy for removing headache, colic, colds. Small doses of rosemary help to relax muscles, including the smooth muscles of the digestive tract and uterus. Because of this property it can be used to soothe digestive upsets and relieve menstrual cramps. This tea is also taken as a tonic for calming nerves and to relieve nervous depression. Rosemary makes a pleasant-tasting tea, as long as it is not made too strong, and not steeped for too long, care being taken to prevent the escape of steam during its preparation. Use 1 tsp of crushed dried leaves in a cup of boiling water and allow to steep for a maximum of 10 minutes. A Spirit of Rosemary (tincture) may be used, in doses of 30 drops in water or on sugar, as an antispasmodic.

When used in large amounts it can have the opposite effect, causing irritation of the intestines and cramps.

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A modern medicinal marvel

Circulation

Chronic problems with poor circulation can be improved with rosemary baths - bruising, varicose veins, muscular pains, & low blood pressure. Taking regular warm baths with the addition of1 liter of rosemary infusion is a recognized treatment for these conditions. ( 4 tsp dried or fresh rosemary leaves in 1 liter boiling water.) Rosemary essential oil is invigorating and is very useful when blended in a carrier oil, or a cream, to ease muscular pain, and aching rheumatic or arthritic joints.

Cancer

Several studies done in recent years show that the essential oil from the leaves of the very plant that is sold as a spice for culinary flavoring can help prevent the development of cancerous tumors in laboratory animals. One study showed that applying rosemary oil to the skin of experimental animals reduced their risk of cancer to half that found in animals that did not receive the application of oil. In other studies by the same research team, animals whose diets contained some rosemary oil had about half the incidence of colon cancer or lung cancer compared with animals not fed a little rosemary oil. And researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana found that rosemary cut by half the incidence of breast cancer in animals at high risk for developing the disease.

Subsequent studies conducted at other institutions have confirmed that rosemary is a powerful anti-oxidant and it inhibits carcinogenic aflatoxin from binding to human liver cells. It has also been shown to have extremely powerful anti-carcinogenic protective properties in human cells.

(Though these experiments have used rosemary oil to test the effectiveness in preventing cancer, the pure essential oil should not be taken internally. Even small doses can cause stomach, kidney and intestinal problems, and the ingestion of large amounts of rosemary essential oil may be poisonous.)Rosemary taken in a tea instead – contains sufficient essential oil to be effective.

Improving the integrity of brain cells

The results of different studies suggest that carnosic acid, found in rosemary, may shield the brain from free radicals, lowering the risk of neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Lou Gehrig's. There is a chemical in the brain called acetylcholine which maintains the nerve pathways between reasoning and memory cells. Compounds in rosemary prevent the breakdown of this chemical.

Rosemary also strengthens the capillaries in the brain, improving the blood supply within the brain.

Depression

A lesser known property of rosemary is its ability to lift depression, and to ease nervous exhaustion. It lifts the mood, quells restlessness, and stimulates the appetite when one is mentally and physically exhausted. Treatments with rosemary essential oil are advised. Considering that John Gerard, a British botanist and surgeon, said of rosemary in 1597, that it “it comforteth the harte and maketh it merie.”, we should not be surprised.

Eliminating Candida

Rosemary is an effective remedy for Candida. Its strong fungicidal properties destroy the yeast cells that proliferate in Candida albicans, and at the same time, rosemary has (seldom acknowledged) effective diuretic actions which flush yeast cells out of the system. As with most herbs, these actions are not so strong that they cause an imbalance in the population of bactericides or fungicides that are required for the smooth running of the digestive system.

Slimming

Having the ability to aid in the digestion of fats, rosemary, because it also stimulates blood circulation, is often included in slimming blends.

Health Precautions

Many herbals suggest that rosemary raises blood pressure and that those with high blood pressure should not use rosemary. However, when this herb is taken in a carefully managed regime, it has been found that it will reduce high blood pressure!

Generally rosemary in culinary or therapeutic doses is safe; however, precaution is necessary for those prone to epileptic seizures. Rosemary essential oil may have epileptogenic properties, as a handful of case reports over the past century have linked its use with seizures in otherwise healthy adults or children. Rosemary essential oil is potentially toxic if ingested. Large quantities of rosemary leaves can cause adverse reactions, such as coma, spasm, vomiting, and pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs) that can be fatal. Pregnant women should not use the herb medicinally, although they may use it sparingly as a seasoning in food.

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Culinary use

Rosemary is extremely high in iron, calcium, and Vitamin B6. It is used widely these days in cooking, complimenting a wide variety of foods, and can be added to meat, salad and vegetable dishes, and hot and cold drinks. The fresh and dried leaves have been used in traditional Mediterranean cuisine since time immemorial. Rosemary imparts a subtle, bitter, astringent taste to the food. When heated, rosemary gives off a distinct smell, and adds to the culinary enjoyment of roasted foods, and cooking on open fires and grillers.

Author: Wanda Bruce. Editor of Health Encounters Magazine - http://www.healthsense.co.za

Article originally printed for HAoSA (Herb Association of South Africa)