Rosemary herb is a delicious smelling plant that can be grown in most gardens or grown as a potted plant. It can be trickier to grow than other herbs, such as mints, but when you create the perfect growing environment for it, it gives you a beautiful supply of fresh and dried herb to use in cooking and baking.
Our ancestors also loved the rosemary herb and used it in medicine and magic. Christians used the fresh herb during feasts, such as christening feasts, and it was used for funerals.
Burn Away the Bad
Burning rosemary was believed to get rid of evil spirits and bad energies. In Germany, bundles of dried rosemary sprigs were burned on May Day (May 1st) to get rid of all the bad.
Prevents Drunkenness
It was once believed that rosemary could prevent a person from getting drunk. Wines were once served with sprigs of rosemary and it is said that housewives would add a decoction of rosemary to their husbands’ drinks so that they wouldn’t become drunk and out of control.
Women in Charge
In homes where the woman rules the household, rosemary herb will grow the best.
Hung Above the Door
Sprigs of rosemary are still hung above doorways to prevent bad spirits or negative energies from entering the home.
Memory
In order to perform well on a test, wear a sprig of rosemary. It’s believed to improve the wearer’s memory and is said to bring luck.
Evil Eye
To our ancestors, the evil eye was a real problem. Anyone with negative intentions could look upon you and give you instant bad luck. In Spain, women would wear sprigs of rosemary to deflect the evil eye and to protect themselves from misfortune.
Nightmares
Put a few sprigs of rosemary herb under your pillow or mattress to prevent nightmares.
Restores Youth
We have plenty of strange youth restoration beauty habits today and the past was no different. Women would bathe in rosemary water to restore their youthful looks and delay old age.
Love Potions
Rosemary were often used in love potions. Young, single women would also carry a sprig of fresh rosemary on them whenever they left their home in the hopes that it would help them find love.
Cures Baldness
Do a quick search online and you will find a bunch of shampoos made with rosemary essential oil or rosemary fragrance. This probably comes from the old belief that rosemary water can help cure baldness and makes hair grow in healthy and strong.
Sources:
Dickens, Charles. All the Year Round: A Weekly Journal. (1859) London: Published at No. 26, Wellington Street, and by Messrs. Chapman and Hall.
The little giant encyclopedia of superstitions. (1999). New York: Sterling Pub.
Radford, E., Hole, C., & Radford, M. A. (1961). Encyclopaedia of superstitions. London: Hutchinson.
