By Uros Ivkovic
The most common yet underestimated culinary and medicinal herb?
Have you ever been alone while waiting for somebody in an urban area? It could be a parking lot or something? Then you see it, a small rosemary hedge – Alleluia! New fresh tender tops, tiny violet tasty flowers – all at your disposal (all edible in small doses).
It takes care of halitosis, combats poor circulation issues in the upper body and comes packed with the proven bio-active properties: antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral as well as fighting free radicals.
It is therefore a natural alternative to alcohol gels, comes with a good taste, totally free, and way better than toxic chewing gums with aspartame. All in one: Yes, dear readers, it is his majesty Rosmarinus officinalis aka Alecrim.
But once we get used to something as abundant as the rosemary plant, it becomes so common and ordinary. We might say that it loses its original value. I would say that it only appears that way. In my green-savage world, rosemary is still a reliable pal; he is the number one kitchen all-star. He´s the King spice, ruling the kitchen spice section along with my best friend Bay leaf (folha do louro).
He is the male archetype for the esoteric side of Herbalism. Determined, audacious, fast-acting, best in small regular doses, efficient, and cuts through like a blade. Spicy, pungent, sharp and good looking. Worth giving him a shot in your salad or stew, raw or cooked.
Rosemary plant care.
In my experience, the only way to kill a rosemary plant was a constantly wet and soggy shaded area, with poorly drained soil and left to weeds for a long period without any attention. Pruning big old branches for plant regeneration is recommended once in a while.
He is one of those herbs that when properly picked dried and stored, holds herbal value for long periods of time. When dried and moved from the main stalk, the herb needs to appear pale green.
Tea Recipe
In a tea combination, drink it alone or with other herbs, but the bulk needs to be sifted after 4-7 minutes. Longer periods or higher doses will allow the rosemary to continue to release its essential oils and other biochemistry hence making the taste unattractive. Pick it on a sunny and dry day. For best results, pick when flowering has just started. Try to avoid ornamental creeping rosemary; look for the regular upright bush.
Superfood
We use dry rosemary extensively as pow(d)er, microdosing shall we say! Try merging it with local Algarvian powdered unrefined sea salt, natural organic yeast; even add local Iberian organic algae in the mix. Feel this homemade superfood natural addi(c)tive rocking your kitchen and health world. You may ask why go through all this hassle just to make a sauce or spice? Well, the majority of store-bought foodstuff is loaded with modified corn starch (GMO) or loaded with other versions of Sodium Glutamate and harmful additives.
Aromatherapy
The uses of rosemary do not finish here; yes there´s more. Rosemary essential oil is widely recognised in aromatherapy. Oil essence is mostly used topically. Finding quality premium essential oil is recommended (Floriana, Oshadhi, Pranarom, etc.) for aromatherapy usage. Mix several drops with a tiny amount of base oil (10% massage mixture). The base oil can be cold-pressed organic sunflower oil, for example, amazing for general skincare.) Inhaling rosemary helps with respiratory infections and has strong expectorant properties as well.
Historical evidence suggests that rosemary was one of the “4 thieves herbs” (Marseilles Vinegar). The legendary mix that helped humanity against the plague, way back in the middle ages. Can it be of help again? For sure.
True Hero. Thanks, Rosemary!
Example – (there´s a tonne more similar evidence out there) Rosemary and science – portlandpress.com article
