In praise of rosemary

and why rosemary is found by the front door

This humble shrub which grows so abundantly and is a favourite herb in our meals has, in fact, always been revered as a sacred plant. And not just in Europe. Traces have been found in Egyptian tombs too.

It has long been used as incense. Just like frankincense and myrrh, but as these resins were (and still are) so precious and expensive, rosemary was used as a cheaper alternative. In the middle ages fumigation with rosemary was used to smoke out devils during exorcisms.

You can learn more aromatic rituals in the FREE webinar with Sinead from Yogandha here.

Rosemary was even used during the Black Plague to ward of the disease. It became so popular that the price rocketed. It was at this time, people started to plant this sacred shrub at their front doors. It was commonly believed that rosemary would help to protect against the plague.

The belief that rosemary would protect against disease is confirmed as rosemary was one of the plants once used in hospital wards as a disinfectant.

We don’t know for sure if it could ward off the disease but rosemary does have some fantastic properties. Modern research confirms its antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant abilities.

Rosemary for memory

Another reference to rosemary is found in Rome and ancient Greece where students would twine the herb into their hair to help study for their exams:

“Rosemary is for remembrance

Between us day and night,

Wishing that I may always have

You present in my sight.”

Shakespeare’s Ophelia also declared: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember!”

A recent study at Northumbria University researched the effect of rosemary on memory and student’s performance during exams. It confirmed that the students did perform better and that memory improved.

Clear head and clear mind

Rosemary not only clears our mind and helps us focus better. It is also excellent for our respiratory system. It is used as a tea, in our food and as an essential oil against colds, blocked sinuses and any mental and physically heaviness in our heads.

How can you use rosemary?

• Grow it in your garden or window box. Enjoy its aroma
• Use it in cooking and as a tea (it’s excellent for digestion)
• Make an infused oil for cooking and anointment
• Use Yogandha Salute Rollerball to inhale when needing to focus, for clarity and when you have a foggy head. Use it for exams, dap it on the kids on their way to school or doing homework. And apply at the first sign of a cold.

We still plant it by the front door, have dried cuttings hanging in the kitchen and diffuse the essential oil for protection against negativity. Rosemary in our home brings clarity and positive energy. Using it as a perfume in an essential oil blend such as Yogandha Salute Rollerball you invoke these qualities anywhere and anytime.

Learn even more aromatic rituals in the FREE webinar with Sinead from Yogandha here.

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