Herb Profile: Rosemary

Of all the herbs in the world, rosemary was likely one of the first you became familiar with. It’s often thought of as the big two in cooking (hello, rosemary and thyme), but it’s so much more than that: rosemary is a commanding plant, boasting versatility in healing, magic, and food.

Bonus to this: rosemary is a fragrant plant, with a unique, earthy taste and stunning, tiny bluish purple flowers. While rosemary can be challenging to grow—especially from seed—it’s more than worth adding this herb to your garden.

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Please note: I am an herbalist—not a doctor. Always consult your doctor before trying out a new herb.

Rosemary

Botanical name: Salvia rosmarinus

Other names: compass plant, old man, polar plant, romarin, rosemarine, rusmari.

Actions: antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-apoptotic, anti-tumorigenic, antinociceptive, and neuroprotective.

Energetics: cooling, clearing, grounding.

Plant description

Rosemary is a small evergreen plant with multiple branches with fragrant, evergreen-like needles. Near the base, the stems are woody, but thin out and become more pliable further up. While new growth is soft and pliable, the stems become stiff and branch-like over time.

Parts used

The leaves and twigs of rosemary are used; the roots are not commonly used, but are safe. Rosemary can be used fresh or dried.

Harvesting

To harvest rosemary, cut the sprigs above their woody stems to ensure you only collect soft, green growth. The herb is best harvested in spring and summer.

Medicinal uses

Rosemary has a wide range of medicinal uses, including improving memory and concentration, supporting the circulatory and nervous systems, relieving muscle pains and spasms, promoting digestion, stimulating hair growth, and boosting overall mood.

Edible uses

Rosemary can be used in a variety of dishes, from rosemary infused butter to rosemary lavender lemonade. The sprigs are often used in meat, fish, and poultry dishes to imbue its earthy flavor. The flowers are also edible and can be used as a garnish in side dishes and salads.

Magical uses

Rosemary is a versatile herb with a number of magical uses, including protection from negative energy, purification, attracting love, safeguarding relationships, increasing fertility, providing wisdom and focus, improving memory, and promoting healing, and good sleep.

This herb is an excellent substitute for expensive, hard to find, or overharvested herbs. It’s especially a good alternative to white sage when smoke cleansing a room or home.

Folklore

Rosemary has long been grown in kitchen gardens, and has been thought to represent the dominance of the lady of the house. In Roman times, priests used rosemary as incense in religious ceremonies, while, in England, the herb was placed on top of coffins before they were covered with dirt.

Cautions

There is a possibility that rosemary may cause miscarriage when taken in high doses; while pregnant or nursing people should avoid ingesting it in large quantities, using it minimally as a spice is fine.

Additional notes

I’ve been using rosemary for years now—it’s one of my favorite herbs. I find it to be not only versatile, but effective, too. Lately I’ve been loving it on roasted potatoes (with lots of butter, of course), and have bound it into my own homemade burn bundles for cleansing my space.

xoxo,

Catherine

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