Insanity abounds, but rosemary to the rescue
In his 1939 book Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss included in the chapter “Herbs Indicated for Specific Diseases,” under the section for treating insanity, these herbs: “Catnip, peppermint, rosemary, rue, vervain, wood betony, holy thistle, skullcap.” I mention this because the perverse hyperbole of political balderdash and verbal buffoonery is already heavy upon us, and the forecast calls for stormy weather if you allow it.
Don’t allow it. Listen to rosemary, and I don’t mean Rosemary Clooney (George’s aunt). The perennial herb rosemary was popular for medicinal and culinary purposes long before she sang “Come On-a My House” in the 1950s. Seven thousand years prior, a scribe, using cuneiform characters, carved onto stone tablets about the use of rosemary in the embalming process. And that’s not all! Pliny the Rascal wrote about it, and so did famous botanist Dioscorides in his first century tome De Materia Medica.
And that’s not all! In my copy of the June 2012 issue of Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, it states plain as day, “Plasma 1,8-cineole correlates with cognitive performance following exposure to rosemary essential oil aroma.” Smarty pants researchers infused the air in cubicles with rosemary mist and subjected volunteers to arithmetic exercises, and scores improved over time. Third grade teachers should write that down – a hint of rosemary in the air when it’s time to subtract.
Rosemary originated in dry areas around the Mediterranean. The name rosemary came from a Latin phrase meaning “dew of the sea,” and throughout its history was believed to improve mental acuity. Data from tests by modern researchers who graduated from expensive universities have confirmed the slightly bitter but strong herbal aroma of rosemary does indeed improve focus, precision and performance of test subjects and possibly provides a calming effect which could be vital amidst the political blathering and lunacy trying to distract us if we allow it. Don’t allow it.
So, this means we all need a cup of soothing rosemary tea now. Dried herbs will suffice or fresh if you have it. Steep a moderate amount in your favorite mug, take a deep breath, and suddenly calculus or Keynesian economics or a moderate level sudoku are as easy as making succotash.
It is an easy plant to grow, but its roots do not like soggy soil. You can even start new plants from cuttings. I have lived in microclimates where rosemary plants developed into bushes and hedges. They survived moderate winters year after year, and deer did not eat them. Years ago, on my rocky hillside in northern Madison County, a healthy rosemary plant was the first to perish when winter landed with a thud while nearby cilantro – fragile little things – continued to stand. Bummer.
Now I have a healthy rosemary plant in a pot on the deck, and we’ll see if it can handle a winter inside by a living room window. My friends in Eureka Springs kept a plant outside near their house during winter. We all have different microclimates, so you’ll have to figure out if rosemary will survive in your personal zone, but it is a worthwhile herb to keep around.
Those who appreciate the taste of rosemary add it to different meat and soup recipes. I add it to scrambled eggs and roasted potatoes. Baker people add rosemary to bread and folks near oceans add it to fresh fish such as salmon. Everyone can drink invigorating rosemary tea.
Science has confirmed the traditional beliefs of the health benefits of rosemary. It is a source of antioxidants which benefit our immune responses and heart health. The carnosic acid in rosemary assists with brain health and eye health. Not only that, several studies have focused on compounds in rosemary which fight the growth of cancer cells.
So, rosemary combats cancer, aids digestion, improves eye health, flavors scrambled eggs, calms our nerves and improves our arithmetic skills. I wish it could run for governor.