ROSEMARY: HOW IT CAN BE USED

Date: Thursday, April 2nd, 2009 at 2:44 am

Homemade rosemary oil can be used like thyme oil to dispel a headache caused by overstrain or prolonged concentration, and prevent unwanted crows’-feet forming around the eyes. Just rub a few drops into the temples, and feel the tension relax in minutes.

Dried rosemary and coltsfoot have been used together with sage to make a smoking mixture that will not irritate a sufferer from asthma who refuses to give up his beloved “chimney”. This mixture is not only quite harmless, but is indeed beneficial to health, for these herbs are used to combat chest, lung and throat complaints medicinally. A quick whizz through the kitchen blender will shred the herb “tobacco” nicely for you.

On the food front, rosemary oil can be rubbed over a joint before baking. Cut a few slits here and there in the meat and rub the oil well into them. I have already mentioned its wonderful way with the lowly sausage. Add a rosemary sprig to all boiled meats, corned beef, lamb and pork. Ham, either baked or boiled, must have rosemary to give it that pine flavour and perfume. Be a bit sparing with the fresh herb until you find your family’s tastes. One lady complained sadly to me that her husband and children would not eat the lamb she had roasted with rosemary. She had cut many little slits in the skin and put a large sprig of rosemary in each one —baked rosemary flavoured with lamb! Just add a little at first. Too much can be overpowering.

Rosemary and remembrance are often mentioned in the same breath. The origins of its association with memory and constancy, friendship and trust, go back to man’s very earliest records in the western parts of Asia where it was grown on the graves of ancestors to invoke their help and guidance for the living. Sprigs are still traditionally carried at weddings, and also at funerals, and on many occasions where solemn vows and pledges are made. Rosemary tea was taken to improve and strengthen the brain and failing memory.