Rosemary Plant

The older Europeans loved the Rosemary Plant and believed that it helped to improve their memory, they also used it as a symbol of remembrance and was often thrown into fresh graves before they were buried over.

It has been said that The Rosemary Plant, left untrimmed, would grow for thirty three years where it will reach the height of Christ when he was crucified. Many would also put sprigs of Rosemary beneath their pillows to ward of bad dreams and evil spirits.

Someties the wood that come from the stems of the Rosemary plant was used to make musical instruments. People back then liked to utilize every piece of something as not to waste. Today, lots of wreaths are made from Rosemary as a symbol of remembrance.

Rosemary is a relative to the mint family and the name is derived from its Latin origin to mean "dew of the sea." It is very common in Mediterranean cooking and has a bit of a bitter astringent taste to it.

Although it has that slight bitter taste, it compliments oily foods very nicely.

Nowadays, Rosemary is still used for lots of various things besides cooking, such as potpourris, air fresheners, shampoos, and cosmetics.

Scientific evidence has also been said to be shown that Rosemary works very well as a memory stimulant. It has also shown some cancer prevention properties in animals.

Further studies have also shown that Rosemary has a relationship in relaxing muscles, and is able soothe stomach upset as well as menstrual cramps.

A strong consideration to take into account is, when using the Rosemary Plant for this purpose is that if you use too much it can actually cause a counter effect.

If made into a tea it is ingested for calming nerves and anxiety as well as an antiseptic.

When it is used as a tea many people find it to taste very good.

Making tea from a Rosemary Plant is quite simple a application, just pour boiling water over the leaves and steep for about ten to twelve minutes. A little sugar or honey can be added to sweeten it but you should not add any cream.

You can also add a few sprigs to your oils and vinegars to flavor the products which add a nice taste for cooking.

If Rosemary is used as a cosmetic, it can lighten and tone human hair and when mixed with equal parts of shampoo it has been known to add strength to the hair tas well. It also makes for a nice additive in hot bath water.

Although there are many uses for this versatile herb, it is however used more so for cooking than anything else.