Rosemary

Rosemary

(Rosemarinus officinalis )
Folk Names: Compass Weed, Dew of the Sea, Elf Leaf, Guardrobe, Incensier, Libanotis (Greek), Polar PLant, Sea Dew, Mary's Mantle, Mi-tieh-hsiang, Old Man

Gender: Masculine
Planet: Sun
Element: Fire
Powers: Protection, Love, Lust, Mental Powers, Exorcism, Purification, Healing, Sleep, Youth

Magical Uses: Rosemary when burned, emits powerful cleansing and purifying vibrations, and so is smoldered to rid a place of negativity, especially prior to performing magick. It is one of the oldest incenses.
  When placed beneath the pillow rosemarn ensures a good sleep and drives away nightmares. Laid under the bed it protects the sleeper from all harm. Rosemary is also hung on the porch and doorposts to keep thieves from the house and is carried to remain healthy. Placed in the bath it purifies.
  A chaplet of rosemary, worn, aids the memory, while the wood, smelled often, preserves youthfulness. To ensure the latter add a rosemary infusion to the bath water.
   Rosemary has long been used in love and lust incenses and other mixtures, and healing poppets are stuffed with rosemary to take advantage of its curative vibrations. Rosemary infusion is used to wash the hands before healing work, and the leaves mixed with juniper berries are burned in a sickroom to promote healing.
   If you wish to receive knowledge or the answer to a question, burn rosemary on charcoalo and smell its smoke. Rosemary is also grown to attract elves, and the powdered leaves wrapped in linen cloth and bound to the right arm dispel depression and make the emotions light and merry.
   Rosemary is generally used as a substitute for frankincense.
[From "Cummingham's Encyclopedia Of Magical Herbs"]

This herb is an evergreen shrub, with lovely aromatic linear leaves. Colored a dark shade of green above and white below, the leaves of the rosemary give off a beautiful fragrance, and with its small pale blue flowers, the plant is cultivated extensively in many kitchen gardens across America and elsewhere.


The evergreen shrub originated in the Mediterranean area, but it is today cultivated almost everywhere in the world, primarily for its aromatic leaves. The shrub has several ash colored branches, and the bark is rather scaly. The leaves, as described earlier, are opposite and leathery thick. They are lustrous and dark green above and downy white underneath, with a prominent vein in the middle and margins which are rolled down on the sides.

The tonic, astringent, and diaphoretic or the property of increasing perspiration effects of the rosemary are widely recognized and acknowledged across the world. The essence of rosemary can be taken in the form of an infusion, a wine, a tea or as a spirit, or in other words an alcoholic solution. The aromatic herb can also be used for a bath. However, one must remember that the rosemary is extremely stimulating, and a bath with the essence of rosemary late in the evening may well prevent one from sleeping in the night. The leaves of the rosemary contain stomachic (aids digestion) properties, and this property is often used by hair tonic makers, with the belief that its regular use would help prevent baldness when it is applied externally. Rosemary is often recommended especially for cases of low blood pressure. Both the volatile oil and the medication in the rosemary have been used as emmenagogues, which would be effective in stimulating menstrual flow and as abortifacients.

Almost all the physiological activity of the rosemary can be attributed to the volatile oil, which is present in the rosemary leaves in concentrations ranging from 1% - 2.5 %. Camphor, cineole, and borneol are all active compounds of the rosemary, and all these compounds possess an adequate amount of antibacterial properties. Furthermore, the rosemary has stimulating properties, and this becomes more evident when the oil is applied locally. In addition, the leaves of rosemary contain a number of flavonoid pigments of which diosmin, to quote one example, is reported to decrease capillary fragility and permeability. According to German health authorities, rosemary can prove to be effective for bringing in relief from indigestion. Rosemary can also be used as a supportive therapy for rheumatic disorders, and externally, rosemary is acknowledged for its efficacy and success in the treatment of circulatory problems. Though, the actual therapeutic effectiveness of rosemary is not yet known, and until today, no real systemic studies on the leaves of the aromatic herb have been conducted.

Rosemary is often used widely as a common household spice, and also as a fragrant aromatic flavoring agent in several commercially available products, such as vegetables, prepared meats, baked goods, etc. In fact, several people opine that rosemary can be far more useful as a flavoring agent than as a medicine, and this may be quite true because of the truth that rosemary is used in soaps, lotions, facial and body creams, toilet waters, and perfumes as the primary and most important fragrance component. Small amounts of the fragrance are added to the products such as frozen desserts, candy, alcoholic beverages, puddings and various other similar goods. Extracts containing labiatic and carnosic acids have antioxidant or food preservative properties similar to those of butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), but it must always be remembered that large quantities of rosemary oil cannot be taken internally. The reason is that this may cause stomach irritation and disorders and can also irritate the kidneys and intestines.

One of the best known uses of rosemary oil is that it serves as an extremely effective mouthwash. It can get rid of halitosis almost immediately after it is taken. This is how the mouthwash is prepared: take about 1 pint of water. Heat it well. Remove it from the heat, then steep 3 tsp. of the dried flowering tops or leaves of rosemary for 30 minutes. Keep the solution properly covered. Strain and keep it in the fridge. Gargle and rinse the mouth every morning or several times daily.

It is believed that some aromatic spices like sage, peppermint, savory, rosemary, and thyme, hold incredible value in sterilizing water that has been contaminated with unfriendly bacteria.

http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_rosemary.htm
 
 
Culinary uses


Rosemary being a fragrant herb can efficiently enhance the flavor of any food, be it savory or sweet to which it is added. In general, rosemary can be used in a wide variety of culinary preparations, like for example, to season lamb, rabbit, veal, pork, sausages, as well as poultry, egg dishes, fish, pickles and shellfish, rosemary is also added to jellies, fruit jams, and cookies.

Salads and vegetable dishes that need asparagus, cauliflower, broccoli, eggplants, green beans and peas, zucchini and potatoes, can use rosemary for that extra special flavor. Herb breads and biscuits can derive the benefit of the flavor that rosemary will bring to the dish being prepared. However, one must remember that the flavor can be quite strong, and therefore, the herb must be used only sparingly. Always remember to soak dried rosemary in hot water before adding it to uncooked foods.

With the flowers of rosemary, the uses can be different. Since these have a milder flavor, they can be candied, preserved, or added to jellies, honey, wine or vinegar. Even olive oil can be flavored by adding a few sprigs of rosemary.



Craft uses

Fragrant rosemary can be included in potpourris or scented sachets. Rosemary plants can often be used in topiary, the venerable craft in which shrubs are trained into ornamental forms.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Rosemary grows freely in much of southern Europe and is cultivated throughout the world, although the shrub is native to the Mediterranean regions. This perennial plant needs full sun, and a sandy, well-limed soil, but it can also be wintered indoors. Rosemary generally grows best in light, well-drained, rather dry soil, with its recommended pH range about 6.0 to 7.5. If the soil's pH is below 6.0, one can safely add lime or ground-up eggshells to the soil. After the plant has flowered, it is a good idea to cut it back, so that it does not become too leggy. Propagation can be carried out by using layering and cuttings. One must remember that one must never over water the soil, because of the simple fact that over wet soil will inhibit the growth of the herb to a large extent. The shrub thrives in full sunlight, but it will also grow well in semi-shade.



The seeds of the rosemary are very slow to germinate and thereafter, it is for this reason that experts recommend buying the plant. However, if one has the rosemary plant already, then stem cuttings of the original plant can be used for the purposes of propagation. This is the method to be used: first, cut a sprig of new growth, about 15 cm or 6 inches long, from the top of the herb. Then, strip the leaves from bottom 4 cm that is about 1 1/2 inches, and then put the bottom of the twig in wet sand to root. This process will usually take about six weeks. Adding a rooting hormone is a good idea, because this will help to speed up root development.



Layering is a good technique to be used when one has a rosemary plant already. Stem cuttings can be used for this purpose. One can simply pin down the lower rambling branches of an existing herb to the soil until they root, and this will ultimately form a new plant.

One must take care to space garden plants 0.3 to 0.6 m (1 to 2 feet) apart. The rosemary is extremely susceptible to infestations of scale, mealy bugs and spider mites, and to root rot in wet soil, and these are the conditions one must be constantly aware of when one is cultivating the shrub. The leaves must be misted every alternate week. Apply a balanced fertilizer, such as 20-20-20, but be wary of over fertilizing as this reduces flowering, flavor, and fragrance.

Growing in containers

When one is trying to grow rosemary in a container, one must make sure that the plant is slightly pot bound. This means that the container that one must use to grow the plant in must be just big enough for the roots to be housed properly. The pot itself must be kept in a bright and sunny place, because this plant thrives best in open and bright sunshine. It would be a good idea to use a standard soil-based potting mix or an amended soil less mix, and to add coarse sand whenever necessary in order to increase essential drainage. One must also be careful that one waters just about enough, so that the soil is moistened, and at the same time, to make sure that one never over waters. The soil must never dry out completely. An established rosemary plant can be kept for three to four years in a container, before it may need to be replaced. The shrub must be trimmed before the onset of spring. This means that long and straggly branches of the plant must be shortened and trimmed adequately, as this would stimulate new and robust growth of the plant. Furthermore, if a favorite plant finally needs to be replaced, then cuttings from the top branches can be taken so that they can be rooted. This would ensure the correct duplication of the cultivar.

Good choices for Rosemary Grown in Pots


•'Blue Boy' is a small bush rosemary with proportionally small leaves that grow in clusters.

•'Golden Rain' stays compact and small. Its new foliage has a weeping habit and light yellow markings that darken to green.

Here is a great site for growing rosemary - indoors and/or outdoors:
http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetablepatch/a/Rosemary.htm



COLLECTION AND HARVESTING


Leaves and stems and flowers of rosemary can be picked whenever needed, for fresh use at any time. The leaves and stems can be harvested for drying just before the plant blooms, because of the fact that the flavor is at its peak at this time. The leaves and the stem must be placed in a dark and well ventilated place, on a screen, and allowed to dry gradually. After they have dried, the leaves and stem can be placed in an airtight container for storage. On the other hand, sprigs of rosemary leaves can be placed and frozen on a cookie sheet, and then stored in freezer bags for future use.

MOTH REPELLENT WITH ROSEMARY

2 cups dried lavender

2 cups dried rosemary

1 Tbs. crushed cloves

Dried peel of a lemon

Bruise all the ingredients together in a small bowl, and divide among muslin bags. Tie, and set among the woolens.



RUBBING LOTION WITH ROSEMARY

1 cup of rosemary leaves

1 quart rubbing alcohol

Crush the leaves in the bottom of a 1-quart glass jar, and pour the alcohol over the leaves. Cap tightly, and let stand 2 weeks. Strain through cheesecloth, rebottle, cap tightly. Use after the bath.



HERB PILLOW WITH ROSEMARY

4 cups dried rosemary

4 cups dried lemon verbena

8 cups dry pine needles

Crush the ingredients together, and fill a small bag to place under the pillow, or in the drawer with nightclothes.