| Common Name: |
Rosemary |
| Botanical Name: |
Rosmarinus officinalis |
| Genus: |
Rosmarinus |
| Family: |
Lamiaceae |
| Plant facts: |
A member of the Labiatiae family, the everygreen shrub can grow 10-15 feet tall in the United States. When touched, the needles give off a distinct aroma—faintly camphorlike and spicy. When eaten, the needle-shaped leaves have a pungeant, somewhat bitter taste. |
| Origin: |
The herb is native to the Mediterranean region, where it grows wild on dry slopes near the coast. In other regions, it is cultivated in herb gardens and is grown as a potted plant. |
| Native Location: |
Mediterranean region, United States, Balkan States, England, France, Morocco, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Tunisia. |
| Cultivation: |
Well-drained, ideally neutral to alkaline soil, in full sun, with shelter in cold areas. Tolerates soil pH 5-8. Remove dead stems and straggly shoots in spring. Prune after flowering to encourage bushy growth. Rosemary dislikes cold, wet winters, and rarely survives prolonged freezing. Affected plants rot at the roots, often remaining green above ground until late spring. They seldom recover, but cuttings can usually be rooted successfully before the plant dies. |
| Propagation: |
By seed sown in spring (species only); by semi-ripe cuttings in summer. |
| Harvest: |
Leaves and flowering tops are collected in spring and early summer, and distilled for oil, or dried for infusions, decoctions, extracts, spirits, and tinctures. |
| Height: |
2m (6ft) |
| Width: |
1.5-2m (5-6ft) |
| Variants: |
Var. Albiflorus
Has white flowers. |
Arp
Is exceptionally hardy, with an open habit and thick, resinous, gray-green, lemon-scented leaves.
Found at Arp, Texas, in 1972. Good flavor for cooking. |
Aureus
(Guilded Rosemary)
Has irregular yellow variegation. |
Benenden Blue
Syn. Collingwood Ingram
Is small growing, with a dense, cascading habit, very narrow, dark green, glossy foliage, and large sky blue flowers. Good for containers. |
Blue Boy
Is dwarf, compact, and free flowering, with very small leaves.
Height: 60cm (24in)
Width: 30cm (12in) |
Fota Blue
Is semi-prostrate and free-flowering, with very dark blue flowers. Rather tender.
Height: 30-45cm (12-18in)
Width: 60-90cm (24-36in) |
Gorizia
Has stout, upright stems, very large leaves, and medium-blue flowers. Good flavor for cooking.
Originated in Gorizia, on the border between Italy and Slovenia. |
Joyce de Baggio
Syn. Golden Rain
Is compact, with golden, green-centered leaves, and dark blue flowers. |
Majorca Pink
Has a columnar, arching habit, small, dull green leaves and mauve-pink flowers.
Height: 1.2m (4ft)
Width: 30-60cm (12-24in) |
McConnell's Blue
Is a spreading, prostrate rosemary, with broad leaves and clear blue flowers.
Height: 30-40cm (12-16in)
Width: 1m (3ft) |
Miss Jessopp's Upright
Syn. Pyramidalis
Is vigorous, with a columnar, upright habit and pale blue flowers. |
Pinkie
Has short gray-green leaves, and pink flowers.
Height: 1.2m (4ft)
Width: 1m (3ft) |
Primley Blue
Has an upright habit and clear blue flowers.
Height: 1m (3ft)
Width: 60cm (24in) |
Prostratus Group
(Creeping Rosemary)
Has an arching to prostrate habit. Good for containers, hanging baskets, banks, walls, rock gardens, and bonsai.
Height: 15-30cm (6-12in)
Width: 60-90cm (24-36in). |
Roseus
Has pink flowers. |
Santa Barbara
Syn. Lockwood de Forest
Has a mounding habit, with very dark green, shiny foliage, and clear blue flowers. |
Severn Sea
Has a spreading, arching habit, narrow leaves, and violet-blue flowers.
Height: 1m (3ft)
Width: 1m (3ft) |
Silver Spires
Has white-variegated foliage. Tends to revert. |
Sissinghurst Blue
Is exceptionally free-flowering and relatively hardy, with an upright habit.
Height: 1-1.2m (3-4ft)
Width: 1m (3ft) |
Sudbury Blue
Has dense, blue-green foliage, an upright habit, and mid-blue flowers.
Height: 1.5-2m (5-6ft)
Width: 1.2-1.5m (4-5ft) |
Tuscan Blue
Is fast-growing, with and upright habit, slightly glossy leaves, and dark blue flowers. Good flavor for cooking.
Height: 1-2m (3-6ft)
Width: 1-2m (3-6ft) |
|
| Hardiness: |
Z7-10 |
| Extraction: |
Steam Distillation |
| Parts Used: |
Leaves. For medicinal purposes, the dried leaves and flowers are used, as well as the essential oil, which is obtained by steam distillation.
Leaves, flowering tops, oil. |
| Color and Odor: |
The essential oil is colorless and has a warm, sharp, refreshing, and camphorous aroma. |
| Background: |
Important as an ingrediant in a famous toilet water produced in 1370 and named "Hungary Water" after Queen Elizabeth of Hungary, who was reputed to have retained her beautiful appearance into old age. Rosemary is also one of the classic ingredients in Eau-de-Cologne. |
| Properties: |
Stimulant, antispasmodic, carminative, stomachic, tonic, astringent, cleansing, cepahlic, cordial, diuretic, nervine.
An aromatic, restorative herb that relaxes spasms, relieves pain, and increases perspiration rate. It also stimulates the liver and gall bladder, improves digestion and circulation, and controls many pathogenic organisms. |
| Components: |
Rosemary contains large amounts of an essential oil, whose primary constituents are cineole, borneol, thymol, camphor and pinene. The oil is an effective disinfectant and antispasmodic. It also stimulates circulation; by increasing blood flow it invigorates the whole body. The needlelike leaves contain bitters, tannins, flavonoids and nicotinic acid as well. |
| Indications: |
Rosemary is used internally for problems of the digestive tract, particularly bloating and cramps; the herb's antispasmodic properties come into play here. In addition, by increasing production of stomach juices, it stimulates the appetite and promotes digestion. Wine made with rosemary is considered to be a fortifying remedy for nervous agitation, low blood pressure and heart and circulatory weakness; it is especially helpful during convalescence. Rosemary oil applied topically increases blood flow and relieves sore, aching muscles. |
| Extra Tip: |
You can gather leaves from the rosemary shrub all year long. Dry them in an airy, shady place at a temperature less than 95°F, in order to sustain the medicinal power of the essential oil. |
| Blends: |
- Tea Infusion:
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tsp. of rosemary leaves and strain after 15 min. You can drink 1 cup 2-3 times a day.
- Rosemary Wine:
Add about 1 ¾ oz. of rosemary leaves to 1 qt. of white wine or liqueur. Let the wine and leaves stand for 5 days; then filter. Take 1 tbsp. after meals 2-3 times a day.
- A Bath:
Bring to a boil 1 ¾ oz. of dried leaves or 2 ½ oz. of fresh leaves in 1 qt. of water. COver and let it stand for 15-30 min.; add to warm bathwater.
- Dandruff Rinse:
A hair rinse with rosemary adds life to dull hair and combats a dry, flaking scalp. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over ½ cup of rosemary leaves and 1 tsp. of borax. Steep for 2 hrs.; then strain. Apply ½-1 cup after shampooing and conditioning; don't rinse out. Use the rinse within 10 days.
|
| Aromatherapy Applications: |
For Energy and Mental Clarity:
The fragrance from rosemary helps renew energy levels and aids concentration. Use the following oil mixture in an aroma lamp to clear your head and allow you to think clearly again.
3 Drops Rosemary
1 Drop Peppermint
1 DropClary Sage
|
For Grooming and General Well-Being:
Because rosemary oil has a strong warming effect, a body oil containing the extract retains heat after a bath and energizes the circulatory system. The skin absorbs essential oils particularly well after baths or showers. |
|
For Cold Feet:
Pamper and warm cold feet with a footbath containing rosemary oil for quick and long-lasting results. Mix 9 drops of oil with the warm water of the footbath. Be sure to mix well so that the oil disperses throughout. |
For Cellulite:
Adding rosemary oil to bathwater is helpful for removing water from tissue and improving circulation, which in turn diminishes the appearance of cellulite. Mix 10 drops of rosemary oil with 2-3 tbsp. of whipping cream or base oil as an emulsifier, and addd to bathwater. While bathing massage the skin with a loofah to stimulate circulation. |
|
For Hair Loss:
Add 2 drops of rosemary oil to your shampoo. The oil will stimulate circulation to the scalp, giving it a bit of a "wake-up call" and, at the same time, improving the nutrient supply to the hair roots. The result will be healthy and shiny hair. |
To Clear Toxins From the Body:
Make a warm rosemary oil compress. Mix 4 drops of rosemary oil with 2 cups of warm water and then moisten a hand towel with the mixture. To detoxify the body, apply the compress to the liver areal cover with a wool cloth. |
|
To Help Control Minor Pain:
Add 9 drops of rosemary oil to 4 tsp of sweet almond oil and gently rub the gallbladder area. |
To Make a Hair Oil:
Add 2 drops of rosemary, 2 drops of lavender, 2 drops of clary sage and 2 drops of jasmine absolute to 1/2 oz. of a base oil. Add drop by drop to a wooden hairbrush before brushing. The treatment conditions hair and adds a pleasant scent. |
|
Coffee and Stimulant Alternative:
Rosemary can provide a lift during the day by simply adding it to a simmer pot or a diffuser. |
For An Energizing Bath:
Add 3 drops of rosemary essential oil, 3 drops of lemon essential oil, and 2 drops of eucalyptus essential oil directly into a tub full of warm water. Swirl the water until the oils are mixed. |
|
| More Uses: |
A decoction of rosemary in wine helps cold diseases of the head and brain such as giddiness and swimmings, drowsiness or dullness, the dumb palsy, loss of speech, lethargy and falling sickness. It is both drank and the temples bathed with it.
It eases pains in the teeth and gums and is comfortable to the stomach. It is a remedy for windiness in the stomach, bowels and spleen, and powerfully expels it. Both flowers and leaves are profitable for the whites if taken daily. The leaves used in ointments, or infused oil, help benumbed joints, sinews or members.
The oil of rosemary is a soveriegn help for all diseases mentioned. Touch the temples and nostrils with two or three drops or take one to three drops for inward diseases. But use discretion, for it is quick and piercing and only a little must be taken at once.
Nicholas Culpeper |
| Medicinal Uses: |
Internally for depression, apathy, nervous exhaustion, headaches and migraines associated with nervous tension or feeling cold, poor circulation, and digestive problems associated with anxiety. Excess causes abortion in pregnant women and convulsions. Externally for rheumatism, arthritis, neuralgia, muscular injuries, wounds, dandruff, scurf, and hair loss. May be combined with Avena sativa (See, Oats), Scutellaria laterifolia (See, Virginia Skullcap), or Verbena officinalis (See, Vervain) for depression. |
| Uses: |
- Digestive Sytem—Useful for indigestion, stomach pains, colitis, flatulence and constipation. Rosemary is also a good remedy for hepatic disorders such as jaundice, hepatitis, cirrhosis, gallstones and bile duct blockage, being tonic to the liver and gall-bladder.
- Urinary System—Rosemary promotes the flow of urine, thus helping alleviate water retention.
- Circulatory Sytem—Stimulating effect on the heart; promotes circulation and helps to improve eyesight. Normalizes poor circulation and low blood pressure, being an excellent heart tonic. Good for palpitations and hardening of the arteries.
- Respiratory System—Useful for colds, influenza and chronic bronchitis with associated coughs.
- Reproductive System—Good for menstrual cramps and scanty periods.
- Nervous System—Stimulant and tonic to the nerves and useful for all nervous disorders and impairment of sensitivity as well as hysteria and paralysis. Good for headaches, mental fatigue, nervous exhaustion and debility.
- Muscular Sytem—Very good for rheumatic and muscular pain, especially tired, stiff and over worked muscles. Rosemary warms cold limbs, especially during winter, and is particularly good for rheumatism brought on by the cold.
- Skin—A good skin tonic. Rosemary stimulates the scalp and promotes hair growth. Excellent for scalp problems such as dandruff, greasy hair and hair loss.
- Emotions—Clears the mind of confusion and doubt and promotes mental clarity. Rosemary stimulates sensitivity and increases creativity by lifting exhaustion and awakening the heart.
|
| Culinary Uses: |
Fresh or dried leaves are used to flavor meat (especially lamb and kid), sausages, stuffings, soups, and stews; also to make tea. Very small amounts, often ground or powdered, are added to cookies and jams. Fresh sprigs are steeped whole in vinegar, wine, or olive oil, to give a rosemary flavor to sauces and dressings. Flowers can be added to salads. |
| Economic Uses: |
Extracts are used in hair, skin, and bath products. |
| Blends: |
| Bibliography: |
Aromatherapy Blends and recipes by Franzesca Watson Copyright © 1995 Thorsons, Harper Parker Publishing Inc. Pp 160-163
The Complete Natural Guide to Healing Copyright © 1999 International Masters Publishers AB™ Group 1 Card 32, Group 3 Card 11, Medicinal Plants, Aromatherapy.
The Encyclopedia of Herbs by Deni Bown Copyright © 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited, pp. 348-349 |
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