Rosemary for Remembrance

Romarinus officinalis gets its name from the old Latin for “dew of the sea”. This dark green herb with its spiky leaves and clean, penetrating aroma truly is a seaside plant, since it is native to the lands around the Mediterranean.   Rosemary is an almost magical herb.  Folklore says it can attract elves, but repel the fairy folk you don’t want – the ones who try to steal babies from their cribs.  If you sleep with a sprig of rosemary under your pillow you will dream about your true love.   A house where rosemary thrives is said to be run by a strong woman.  When this idea became popular around the 16th century, men took to pulling up rosemary bushes from their gardens, or simply injuring them so that they didn’t grow very well.  This way the world could see they were still in charge of their own households.

Rosemary leaves can be burned to get rid of negative vibes in a room, or for more medicinal purposes, to kill bacteria, as it was in French hospitals during World War II.  Rosemary has traditionally been associated with weddings and funerals. Egyptians put rosemary in the wrappings of their mummies.  In old English custom it was thrown on a coffin before lowering it into the grave.  In the Middle Ages rosemary was quite prominent at weddings.  It was worn as a headpiece by the bride or given as a favor to be worn by the wedding guests.  The bride and groom would dip a sprig of rosemary in the wine before the toast.  The husband might be given a sprig of rosemary on the wedding night to ensure that he remained faithful.

I can’t plant rosemary in the ground here in upstate New York because it won’t survive the winter, but it does very well in my window sill.   I’ve found that rosemary likes to be left alone much of the time.  When I moved, a year and half ago, my beautiful rosemary plant did not survive the ordeal.  I bought another plant as soon as I was settled, but I think I tried too hard to “help” it settle in, and it turned brown and crackly after a few months.  Last summer I decided to try again, and this time just put the peat pot right into the soil of another pot, so the roots were barely disturbed.  It soaked up the sun in my southerly back yard until the weather turned cold, and now it is thriving in a bay window, waiting for warm weather to come again.  I try to ignore it, only watering once a week, or less.  It’s  small, but still green and growing.

What to do with rosemary today, on a practical level? Two of my favorite uses are chicken soup and tea.  The old song lyrics “parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme” are really describing chicken soup seasonings.  All four of these herbs, besides being the perfect flavouring for chicken soup, have medicinal properties.  Thyme contains thymol, a cough suppresant. Parsley is loaded with a long list of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.  Sage and rosemary both contain rosmarinic acid, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities.  Another beneficial phytonutrient in rosemary is eucalyptol, also known as cineole.  Among other things, this compound is used as an anti-inflammatory and a cough suppressant.  A third potent phytonutrient found in rosemary is carnosol, which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic activity.

Rosemary is also a source of calcium, vitamin A, folic acid, iron, vitamin C, magnesium, potassium, selenium and zinc.

In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia gives a flower to her brother and says “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance; pray,  love,  remember.”   Greek students used to wear rosemary in their hair when studying, since they believed it could improve memory. A study in 2002 showed that volunteers who sat in a cubicle infused with the scent of rosemary (versus no scent, or a lavender scent) had better long-term memory and were more alert. A study reported in the Journal of Neurochemistry in 2007 showed that carnosic acid, found in rosemary, can protect brain cells from the effects of free radicals.  Free radicals in the brain are thought to contribute to conditions like stroke, Alzheimers and other effects of aging.

Rosemary has also been used to treat depression and other diseases of the nervous system, to treat a “nervous stomach”, as a hair rinse for dandruff, and a rinse to darken gray hair.  To make a rosemary rinse, combine 1 cup of rosemary leaves with 5 cups of water and simmer for about half an hour.  Strain out the leaves and let the mixture cool.  Blondes should not use a rosemary rinse as it will darken their hair.

Rosemary goes well with all types of meats – chicken, pork, turkey, fish,  lamb, etc.  It is always a player when I stuff a turkey or chicken.  You can toss potatoes with a small amount of oil and some rosemary and roast them.  To make a rosemary tea, boil a pot of water.  Pour the water over a handful or two of fresh rosemary, and let it steep for about 20 minutes.  Pour the tea through a strainer, and add honey if you want.   Enjoy your tea, and the good feelings it brings to your body and your mind.