Amazing Rosemary | rosemary benefits
Rosemary is a relative to the mint family and the name is derived from its Latin origin to mean “dew of the sea.” Rosemary is very common in Mediterranean cuisine and has somewhat of a bitter astringent taste to it. While that is true, it compliments oily foods very nicely. A tisane can be made from the Rosemary leaves and that is also very popular when cooking.
First it is burned and then added to a BBQ to flavour various foods. Fun to note is, Sage, unlike many other herbs has a high nutritional value to it and is rich in iron, calcium, and vitamin B-6 and is more nutritional and flavoursome, in its dried form rather than fresh. Rosemary however should be harvested just as you are going to use it because it truly loses its flavour once dried. Gardner’s that if you plant some Rosemary plants in and around your garden, the Rosemary will fend off moths, beetles, and carrot flies.
Older Europeans loved Rosemary and believed that it improved memory and also used it as a symbol of remembrance, and it was often tossed into fresh graves before they were buried over. Traditionally it has been said that Rosemary, left untrimmed, would grow for thirty three years where it will reach the height of Christ when he was crucified. Many would also place sprigs of Rosemary underneath their pillows to ward off evil and nightmares. Often the wood that comes from the stems of the Rosemary plant was used to make musical instruments. Remember that people back then liked to utilise every piece of something, so as not to waste, something I make a point of even today. Many wreaths are also made from Rosemary as a symbol of remembrance.
Today, Rosemary is still used for many things besides cooking as it is in potpourris, air fresheners, shampoos, and cosmetics. There has also been much scientific evidence that Rosemary works very well as a memory stimulant. Rosemary has also shown some cancer prevention properties in animals. But further, Rosemary has shown a strong relationship in relaxing muscles, and to soothe stomach upsets as well as menstrual cramps. The main thing to remember when using Rosemary for this purpose is that if you use too much it can actually cause a counter effect. So balance is always best.
When made into a tea it is ingested for calming nerves and anxiety and as an antiseptic. Many find Rosemary tea very pleasant to taste. Making the tea from Rosemary is quite simple actually, just pour boiling water over the leaves and steep for 10-15 minutes. A little natural sweetener can be added if you really need to, but you should not add any milk or cream. A few sprigs can be added to oils and vinegars to flavour the products which add a nice taste for cooking. You can also make your own aromatherapy oils.
When used cosmetically it can lighten and tone human hair and when mixed with equal parts of shampoo it has been known to strengthen hair too. It also makes for a nice additive in hot bath water. Rosemary is commonly used today and grows in popularity, so, if you like the idea of strong hair and skin, good cognition and memory, nice tasting foods as well as nice infused products with many benefits then rosemary should be on your grow list in your garden next yearJ
