I have always loved lots of flavor in my food. That means that having a full spice cabinet is a must in our household!
It is interesting to me that a lot of these things we use as flavoring have health benefits and have been used to treat certain things. I enjoy reading about them regardless if I will ever be using them.
I have done blog posts about herbs and spices in the past. Since rosemary is herb that I really like, I decided to make this post about it!
The what and why of rosemary
Rosemary is a wonderful plant that most people have heard of. Another name for it is Rosmarinus officinalis. It is pretty easy to grow and a great option for your home herb garden.
Native to the Mediterranean region, rosemary is recognized for its strong scent and the distinct flavoring it adds to foods. It is great for meats, soups, stews, potatoes, sauces, dips and breads.
Rosemary has also been used in traditional medicine since around 500 B.C. It is a good source of vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, folate, magnesium and potassium.
The alleged benefits of rosemary are as follows:
- Cognitive performance- Some studies have shown that smelling rosemary’s strong scent can improve memory, reaction times and mental math skills. It has also been looked at for possible use in the treatment of dementia.
- Mood improvement- Some studies have shown that smelling rosemary and applying it in oil form to wrists can improve one’s mood.
- Inflammation- Some studies have shown that rosemary has anti-inflammatory benefits. It has been taken for things like osteoarthritis, muscle soreness, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia and joint pain.
- Boosts immune system
- Antioxidant effects
- Anti-cancer effects
- Anti-microbial and anti-bacterial effects- Some studies have shown that rosemary oil can fight E.coli and salmonella in meats.
- Blood circulation- Some studies have indicated that it has circulatory benefits that make it helpful when it comes to hair growth.
- Color loss- Some studies have shown that it delays oxidation. People have used it to help darken grey hairs.
While there are seemingly some good benefits to rosemary, there are also some side effects that have been noted. When too much is consumed, vomiting and kidney issues can occur. Also, it can raise blood pressure, so people need to be cautious of this.
Rosemary can be found in the forms of fresh leaves (straight from the plant and cleaned), dried leaves, powder, essential oil, tea bags and capsules.
My use of rosemary
Back when I was in middle school, I was fascinated by herbs. We went to a garden center one day and my mother let me pick out some plants to take home. I randomly chose rosemary and basil.
While I loved the smell of both of them, rosemary’s scent was especially interesting to me. I would often go out on the deck where we had them and just breath deeply. It was so relaxing to me to be out there on a sunny day, among the plants.
I used to make tea out of the rosemary leaves as well. It is probably too strong for a lot of kids but for me, it tasted great. At that time, I didn’t know much about the benefits of plants but I did have a feeling that I was doing something good to my body when consuming it.
These days, I mainly just use rosemary in cooking instead of drinking the tea. On my high carb days, I add it into basmati rice and in biscuit recipes. I also use it for chicken and beef recipes. Soon, I plan is to make these low-carb rosemary crackers: https://simplysohealthy.com/low-carb-rosemary-parmesan-crackers/.
A while back I bought a box of rosemary tea but I have yet to drink it. Since I am all about anti-inflammatory and immune system boosting things, I might start drinking two cups a day.
I found out around a year ago that rosemary essential oil could help with hair growth. Since I do a hair mask before I wash my hair, I sometimes will add in drops of the oil into the mask. Being that PCOS can cause hair loss, I will be making sure to add it in every time from now on.
I also plan on using diluted rosemary essential oil on my eyebrows to see if I can make them grow. They used to be nice and full which required me to get them waxed once or twice a month. Since I got pregnant and gave birth, they have become sparse and will not grow at all unfortunately.
Rosemary is good to have around!
This plant is strong in smell and flavor which might turn people off from it. I would highly recommend always having it around if you do enjoy it though. You can combine it with other herbs/seasonings/spices to come up with a new dimension of flavor in your recipes.
You can also make tea out of it to get the health benefits it has. If you do not like drinking tea, you could make some anyway, cool it down and use it as an after-conditioning hair rinse. The latter can provide moisturizing and growth benefits for your hair!
Do you like using rosemary?
Thanks for reading!
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