One of my favourite herbs to grow is rosemary, it’s so easy to grow and always gives you so much in return, it’s well known as a culinary herb but I never thought of making a tea with It, until a friend of mine came back from Mexico and told me that she had rosemary and lemon tea pretty much every morning and loved it! It sounded like it would make a lovely fresh brew and using rosemary from the garden would make it even more fragrant!
Traditional medicine
Rosemary has many different uses other than just culinary; we all know that roast potatoes aren’t the same without a sprig of rosemary!
In herbal medicine the plant and essential oil are both used for many different ailments, with antimicrobial and antispasmodic properties it can be taken as a tea to aid in soothing a sore throat and easing digestive problems, also known as a stimulant a tonic can be taken to combat fatigue and anxiety.
Less commonly known is the uses for around the house, due to its antimicrobial properties it makes a great natural disinfectant and also helps to deodorise, it can also be used as a moth-repellent, placed as sachets in cupboards and drawers.
Cosmetically rosemary is mostly found in hair treatments as it helps stimulate blood flow and increase circulation to the scalp resulting in a more conditioned scalp, used on its own as a rinse it can also gently darken brunette hair, adding sage can speed up this process if used every other day. A rosemary essential oil hair mask is also a very beneficial treatment for dry and damaged hair, it’s always best to dilute it with carrier oil like coconut as it can cause scalp irritation in some cases.
Folklore
In many different European cultures rosemary is known as the herb of remembrance, it was often placed on new graves and planted nearby, brides would also have it woven into hair wreaths and bouquets on their wedding day to remember loved ones. It was also said that smelling rosemary can improve memory, this tradition dates back to as far as ancient Greece, where students would wear it around their necks to help in their revision and to pass exams, recent studies have shown that there might be some science behind this and a lot more research is going into looking at how rosemary can be used to increase memory performance.
It was said that sleeping with a sprig of rosemary under your pillow would lead to a restful sleep and banish nightmares, burning it would cleanse the air and ward off sickness, this was also practised during the Second World War where sprigs of rosemary and juniper berries were burned in French hospitals to kill off germs.
