Rosemary Health Benefits
Rosemary Health Benefits
Description and History
The scent of Miss Patty’s Herbal Pain Remedy is a combination of the sweet-smelling St. John’s Wort oil infusion and the Essential Oil of Rosemary. This essential oil was chosen due to its numerous health benefits along with its herbal, woodsy tone. In addition, I use the ORGANIC essential oil of rosemary because this balm is applied to the skin. Miss Patty’s Herbal Pain Remedy can also safely be used on animals for their arthritic and rheumatic aches and pains! The botanical name for rosemary is Rosmarinus Officinalis. It is an evergreen, bushy plant that grows up to six feet tall. The rosemary plant blooms with small, light blue flowers. Wreaths of rosemary were often seen on the heads of Greek and Roman figures because at that time rosemary was considered sacred. It was worn in gratitude to the Goddess Aphrodite, who was credited with giving it to them. And it is still associated with memory today. Rosemary essential oil is a strengthening nerve tonic and can be a valuable aid in the treatment of nervous exhaustion. As such, Rosemary health benefits include enhancing mental clarity, structure, stimulation, and awareness in the brain. It is also known to improve concentration and emotional balance. Rosemary is sometimes referred to as an anti-depressive as it eases psychological tension. |
Essential Oils
| Essential oils have the ability to penetrate the skin and travel throughout the body quickly and easily. More about this can be read on the page about foot reflexology. We are affected physically and psychologically by the properties inherent in each plant. Essential oil of rosemary is considered a nervine relaxant as well as a stimulant. How can this be? It increases the circulation (stimulating) while at the same time it is a vasodilator (relaxes blood vessels). These claims are well documented. |
Rosemary Health Benefits, Properties and Uses
Herbs can be classified as cold, cool, neutral, and warm according to the effect they have on the body. The energy of rosemary is warm. This warming energy contributes to rosemary’s health benefits by stimulating the heart and the adrenal glands, thereby increasing peripheral blood circulation. It is indicated for exhaustion, heart weakness, asthma, and low blood pressure.
In Chinese medicine, the Heart is a Fire element, and the Adrenals are a Water element (as part of the Kidney). Symptoms of dis-harmony in the Heart / Fire element include low energy, slow heartbeat, a need for caffeine, memory problems, inability to think clearly, pale and listless affect, stiff shoulders, and a desire for a warm massage. These would be called cold symptoms and would benefit from administering warming energy. Cold symptoms in the Adrenal / Kidney / Water element are frequent, clear urine, low sexual energy, susceptibility to colds and flu, poor concentration and/or memory – especially when tired, fatigue, groaning, a desire to sleep a lot, feeling tired in the late afternoon, and lack of self-confidence.
All of these “feel good” benefits of essential oil of rosemary as a result of its penetrating and circulating nervine effects are just an added bonus. Essential Oil of Rosemary was specifically chosen for Miss Patty’s Herbal Pain Remedy due to its pain-relieving properties when applied to the site of pain.
On the surface of the skin and into the deeper layers of skin and muscle tissues, the essential oil of rosemary has an analgesic (pain-relieving) effect.
It is indicated for arthritis and rheumatic aches and pains. As an anti-inflammatory, the essential oil of rosemary can help alleviate swollen, aching joints, sore muscles, sprains, and strains. It reduces fluid build-up via its rubefacient ability to increase blood flow to an area, relieving inflammation and congestion. Increased blood flow to an area brings relaxing warmth to it, while at the same time, has an antipyretic (excess heat removing, fever-reducing) effect. This is accomplished as a result of the circulating blood removing toxins and/or fluid build-up at the site of congestion. For headaches, Miss Patty’s Herbal Pain Remedy can be rubbed into the temples. Cold feet or tired, weak legs can benefit from a stimulating rub of rosemary essential oil contained in this healing salve.
Essential oil of rosemary measures a 4.3 on the Antiseptic Values chart. In comparison, phenol, a synthetic antiseptic that has served as the measurement reference, is a 5.6; the lower the number, the stronger the anti-microbial effect. So rosemary essential oil is considered to be an effective anti-bacterial. It is also an astringent, meaning that it has a contracting effect on tissues, thereby reducing surface secretions and discharges.
For a real treat, when I get a full body massage I bring my Miss Patty’s Herbal Pain Remedy with me and ask the massage therapist to use it as the massage oil. I get all of the rosemary health benefits mentioned above and feel warm and relaxed, clear-headed and pain-free!
