Rosemary: Rose of The Virgin Mary
The association of Rosemary with eternal memories gives it a special place in two important stages of life: funerals and weddings. This article summarizes some of the cognition and legends of Rosemary in various places since ancient times, so that everyone can learn more about this plant and its mysterious effects.
Name: Rosemary
Scientific Name：Rosmarinus officinalis L.
Family: Lamiaceae
Also known as : Dew of the Sea, Sacred Grass, Rose of the Virgin
Characteristics of the Plant
Rosemary is a perennial woody shrub with approximately square stems, and leaves often clustered on branches.
According to the shape and growth habit of Rosemary, it can be divided into two strains: erect type and creeping type. The erect Rosemary is 1-2 meters tall, the stems turn lignified when mature, and the leathery leaves are narrow and needle-like, larger than the creeping Rosemary, but rarely bloom. Creeping Rosemary plant height is 30-60 cm, hard stems, branches are twisted and swirled, laterally curved and stretched up to 50-120 cm. It can bloom several times a year, and it is most prosperous in April and May. It is an excellent hanging pot and ground cover.
Rosemary is abundant in the Mediterranean, southern France and Portugal.
The Legend of Rosemary
The legend of Rosemary begins with its beautiful little blue flowers. With its strong aroma, it was one of the protagonists of aromatherapy in the 14th century, and its curative effect has also been used by herbalists for hundreds of years, and it has only been gradually proved by scientific research in modern times.
It is said that there is such a famous saying in Shakespeare's book "Hamlet": "Rosemary is to help recall, dear, please keep it in your heart." In the West, Rosemary is defined as a symbol of love, loyalty and friendship.
The babysitter in "Romeo and Juliet" asks "Don't both Romeo and Rosemary start with the letter R? It hints at the fidelity of love between the young couple. But at the end of the tragedy, its meaning is reversed, pointing to death and burial."
Ancient Legend
In ancient Egyptian civilization, Rosemary symbolized eternal life. European civilization has inherited this tradition, seeing Rosemary as a symbol of eternal memory. It reflects the deepest human fear: the fear of forgetting and being forgotten. Compared with the cruel reality of no youth, short-lived love, and separation of life and death, Rosemary provides a satisfactory answer: it can not only improve memory, keep memories forever, but also ensure that love remains unchanged.
As early as Greco-Roman times, the dead were buried with a bouquet of Rosemary in their hands, a symbol of eternal life. With the evolution of customs, mourners also wore Rosemary and threw it on the coffin when the deceased was buried, which meant remembering the deceased. This ancient custom is still preserved today. Italians throw sprigs of Rosemary into the graves of the deceased at funerals, representing admiration and remembrance for the deceased.
Ancient Greek students braided Rosemary in their braids because they believed that Rosemary could help memory, enhance concentration, and allow them to succeed in exams. This may not be for nothing.
The ancients believed that it could strengthen memory, so it is also known as the "beacon of the sea". When the outgoing ship is lost, lost sailors can rely on this strong aroma to find the location of the land.
Level of Religion
Religious legends have deepened the sacred power of Rosemary. In Europe, Rosemary is widely planted around churches, and believers regard it as a sacred offering, so rosemary is also known as "the Rose of the Virgin Mary".
The smell of Rosemary is said to be given by Jesus, who, when Jesus fled from Judea to Egypt, dried his laundry on Rosemary, and Rosemary was given many medicinal properties. So it has a fragrant and noble breath, and has the power of God, which can purify and exorcise.
The flowers of Rosemary were originally white. When the Virgin Mary fled to Egypt with the baby Jesus, the Virgin's coat was hooked by Rosemary. Mary's tribute, from then on Rosemary flowers turned blue.
European Customs
According to European folklore, a girl puts Rosemary under her pillow and dreams of her future husband at night. Another theory is that if you leave a bowl of flour overnight under a Rosemary bush, your fiancé's initials will appear on the flour the next morning.
Italian girls will hold the Rosemary in bloom, tap the fingers of their sweethearts, and expect a positive response from the other side. At weddings in many western countries, the bride wears a Rosemary wreath, and the bouquet in her arms is Rosemary, and Rosemary is also floating in the wedding wine.
In Spain, Rosemary is a symbol for pilgrims, and the flowers never grow beyond adult height. Therefore, Rosemary and Christmas are inseparable. According to traditional customs, people sprinkle Rosemary leaves on the floor at Christmas to ward off evil spirits. Even today in Europe and America, Rosemary planted in pots is often pruned into the shape of a Christmas tree as a festive decoration.
Medicinal and Aromatherapy Value
Rosemary has been regarded as a memory-enhancing herb since ancient times.
According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, Rosemary treats bad breath, makes clothes fragrant, and burns away ghosts. It can be seen that the ancients regarded it as China's lavender and ward off evil. Today, science has found that Rosemary can prevent aging, stabilize nerves, eliminate fatigue, strengthen the heart, promote blood circulation, strengthen the central nervous system, antibacterial, hair protection, deworming and menstruation.
Today European and American medical circles are studying how to use it to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease.
Rosemary contains several components that prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine. Human brain neuronal conduction, memory and normal brain function all depend on acetylcholine. (In fact, there is a drug taken by Alzheimer's patients: dozapezil hydrochloride aricept, whose mechanism of action is also to interfere with the decomposition of acetylcholine, which is very similar to Rosemary.)
Rosemary is a herb that is often eaten. Its unique aroma is also often used to make soaps and cosmetics.
Aromatherapists use Rosemary essential oil for baths or massage oils. Rosemary is a good antioxidant that helps the body absorb nutrients from food.
It is said to soothe tense nerves, intensify feelings of pleasure, and restore health and vitality.
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Source： 奇蹟花源、亞泥生態園
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