So what’s so special about Rosemary essential oil? Well, there’s a very special person who thought it was one the best essential oils available.
Rosemary Essential Oil Receives Acclaimed Endorsement
Juliette de Bairacli Levy was a renowned English herbalist who began a life of epic world travel in the 1930s, living with the Gypsies, Berbers and Bedouin of Europe, Turkey, North Africa, Israel and Greece. Along the way, she supplemented her formal veterinary training with their extensive traditional knowledge of farming, animals and herbs, and eventually wrote several classic herbals that inspired the very beginnings of today’s natural health resurgence.
“Rosemary is Very Antiseptic”
Juliette proclaimed rosemary to be her favorite plant. In an interview she said, “My children say I cure everything with rosemary. It’s true. Even if they have had very serious injuries, merely bathing in a rosemary bath has cured them. Rosemary is very antiseptic. It is beloved by the bees and the butterflies. Such a lovely name, too—Rosmarinus—dew of the sea.”
The Many Benefits of Rosemary
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oil, steam-distilled from the fresh flowering plant tops, is a lovely antimicrobial, antiseptic, analgesic and antioxidant remedy with a fresh, almost piney scent that always reminds me of summertime in the South of France. It seems to exude sunshine, and its antidepressant properties are well known. Simply sniff the opened bottle or use a few drops in a diffuser in your home during the dark winter months.
Rosemary may be also used in case of headache; simply crush the fresh herb in your hand, or add the essential oil to your diffuser for relief. Sore muscles and arthritis can be helped with a rosemary massage oil: add 6 drops to ½ cup carrier oil (almond or jojoba are best.) It is also wonderful for colds and cough, particularly by means of a steam inhalation, and has a singular relationship to memory. Try it the next time you need to remember something important! Like many of the stronger essential oils, it is to be avoided during pregnancy or in cases of epilepsy.
1 De Bairaclai Levy, Juliette. “Herbal Voices Interview with Featured Herbalist.” Wise Woman Herbal E-zine, Jul. 2009. Web.