All About Rosemary Health Benefits
Closely related to lavender, marjoram, and sage, rosemary is a popular garden herb and cooking spice. It has a refreshing, pine-like aroma and soft, deep-green, needle-like leaves. Aside from adding flavor to food, rosemary is also a very useful healing herb. Rich in volatile oils, find out about rosemary health benefits.
Improves Memory
Inhaling the fresh, pungent smell of rosemary improves memory and concentration. How? By stimulating blood flow, including cerebral circulation. This herb has been credited for sharpening the mind for centuries as students of ancient Greece would place fresh sprigs in their hair to help them with their studies.
Soothes the Nerves
Rosemary has another benefit for mental well-being — it is a safe and gentle natural remedy for depression and tension. Rosemary naturally stimulates the nervous system, calming nerves and relieving psychological strain and tension-related headaches.
Try drinking a cup of rosemary tea once in awhile. Steep two teaspoons of the dried herb in one cup of boiled water for ten minutes. Add dried lavender for a more potent effect.
Digestive Tonic
Not only does rosemary stimulate cerebral circulation and the nervous system, but it also stimulates digestion. Added to flavor food, rosemary
acts as a digestive aid, helping your body break down the food that you are enjoying. Prevent gas and an upset stomach by cooking with this herb.
Hair Health
Rosemary is one of the best herbs for promoting hair health. It’s stimulating volatile oils have a positive impact on hair follicles, encouraging new, vibrant growth. Rosemary can even be considered as a natural remedy for preventing baldness. Make a strong tea out of dried rosemary and apply to the hair as a rinse. Leave on for three to four minutes, rubbing into the scalp with your hands. Rinse thoroughly. Your scalp will feel invigorated and your hair will smell wonderfully. For an even more nurturing effect, add sage and lavender to the initial infusion.
Relieve Menstrual Cramps
Rosemary is a great herb for menstrual cramps and for dealing with the stress and tension that is sometimes related with the menstrual cycle. It has very good anti-spasmodic properties, quelling related pain. Stimulating the nervous system it can stabilize mood swings.
Overall Health Tonic
Rosemary is also a great source of antioxidants that help to protect the body from free radical damage. It is a good source of nutrition with boron, calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, potassium, selenium, zinc, B vitamins and vitamin C. There is a higher nutritional content in fresh rosemary, but the dried spice is still beneficial.
As an overall stimulant, packed with beneficial properties for the mind and body, rosemary is a safe, gentle plant for overall health and well-being. So, enjoy rosemary health benefits by adding flavor to your food, a cup of tea to your evening, or a refreshing herbal hair rinse to your bath.
References
Balch, Phyllis A. " Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Fourth Edition (Penguin Books, 2006).
Hoffmann, David. “The Complete Illustrated Holistic Herbal: A Safe and Practical Guide to Making and Using Herbal Remedies.” (Element Books, 1996).
World’s Healthiest Foods https://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=75
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