“There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.

Pray you, love, remember”

– Shakespeare, Hamlet

Rosemary has been a beloved herb since ancient times, used for its culinary and medicinal properties. It symbolizes remembrance, friendship and love.

Rosemary is probably one of the most forgiving plants because it’s easy to grow, it’s resilient, and you can harvest it all year. Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs to grow in the garden and use in the kitchen.

Smelling the rosemary in my garden or in the house while I’m drying them, lifts my spirits. Seeing the blue violet flowers grow makes the plant very beautiful and pleasing to look at. The beauty of nature is very healing. It invites us to remember all those that have passed, invites us to learn from their lessons, and urges us to continue making positive changes in our lives and in the world. Being in nature also fosters gratitude for the simplicity and beauty of what life has to offer.

Planting rosemary will attract bees. I especially enjoy watching the pollinators come.

Rosemary grows year round here in Southern California. It is drought tolerant. It can be harvested any time of year but spring and summer is when it grows most actively. It can grow into a tall big shrub that needs to be pruned regularly.

Here is a video of my daughter helping me prune the rosemary.

In terms of energetics of Chinese medicine, rosemary tonifies and circulates the body’s Yang energy. It brings warmth into the body. So if you tend to be more cold, have aches and pains that respond better with warmth, suffer from weakness, exhaustion and cold limbs, then rosemary is a good herb for you.

Some of the many benefits of rosemary are:

• Rosemary is an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant which helps stimulate circulation and supports the immune system.
• Rosemary has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
• Rosemary helps calm the nervous system and lift the spirits.
• Reduces stress. Helps uplift the mood.
• Benefits the brain and helps improve memory. It helps awaken the mind and bring focus. It helps relieve headaches.
• Helps promote hair growth and helps with dry scalp.
• Promotes digestion, helps with heartburn.

How to use rosemary

You can use dried or fresh rosemary. The rosemary leaf is the part used for medicinal and culinary purposes.

You can use rosemary:

• To drink as tea.
• In a bath.
• As a hair tonic.
• Dry it and use it as a spice for dishes. It compliments potatoes and meats very well.
• You can put it in salads. You can infuse olive oil with it. There are lots of possibilities with rosemary.
• Make rosemary bundles as a smudge stick to cleanse and purify spaces.