Rosemary

What is Rosemary?  Does it really help with memory?  Can it really fight cancer?  Find out these answers and more!  I also give a shout out to all of the recent listeners!  (well, their locations, anyway!)  :)

Music composed and performed by V. Karaitis

Transcript

Hey!  Thanks for listening!  I’m Chris Wagenti, and this is Who Gets It, Naturally.  Music was composed and performed by V. Karaitis.  I’m not selling anything, diagnosing anything; offering any cures or replacing your doctor.  I’m just sharing my passion for natural products.  If you’re pregnant, please consult your doctor before trying anything new.  Everyone is different so you may need to tweak the recipes a bit to work for you.  Always start with the least amount of essential oils…you can always add, you can’t take away.  Remember, these remedies don’t last forever, you need to reapply as needed.  If you are allergic to any of the ingredients I use, please substitute for something you’re not allergic to.  Just because it’s natural doesn’t mean you can’t be allergic to it.

I haven’t done this in a while, so I want to give a huge shout out to all of my recent listeners!  And they come from ALL over the world.  Literally!  Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, India, Japan, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, all over Europe… no kidding…Austria, France, Georgia, Sweden, the Ukraine, Italy, Germany, all over the UK…I’m floored!  I know a lot of you have the podcast and/or the transcript translated.  I honestly pray they get it close… I know my twisted sense of humor doesn’t translate well…I mean no disrespect.  And I truly appreciate you listening!

Here in North America, welcome to the new listeners in Alberta, Ontario and Victoria, British Columbia!  In Alabama – Florence, Fort Payne and Mobile; Arizona – Glendale, Queen Creek, Scottsdale and Tucson; California – Brea, Hayward and Stockton; Westcliff, Colorado; Stafford, Connecticut; Laural, Delaware; Longwood, Florida; in Illinois – Decatur and Knoxville; in Iowa – Clinton and Des Moines; Lafayette, Louisiana; Bath, Maine; in Maryland – Arnold and Baltimore; North Attleboro and Revere, Massachusetts; Davison, Michigan; in Minnesota – Mankato, Saint Cloud and Savage; Southaven, Mississippi; Hermann, Missouri; New Jersey – Elizabeth, Gibbsboro, Irvington, Marlton and Orange; Grants, New Mexico; in New York – Albany, Buffalo, Clay, Clifton Park, Delevan and Syracuse; Holly Springs, North Carolina; Amilia, OH; Claremore, Oklahoma; Oregon – Boardman and Lebanon; Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Gaffney, South Carolina; Austin, Longview and Lubbock in Texas; Syracuse, Utah; Colchester and Northfield, Vermont; Arlington and Boydton, Virginia; Tacoma, Washington; Moorefield, West Virginia; and in Wisconsin – Hudson, Milwaukee and Oconomowoc.  Welcome to all of you!!!  And thank you sooo much for listening!  

I’m still working on the recipe blog…that will hopefully be up soon!

Today I want to talk about an herb I’ve mentioned several times before,  including in Season 2, Episode 6 – Skin Care Part I, but haven’t gone deep into yet…Rosemary.  As I mentioned in Season 2, Episode 8, the Mints, Rosemary is in the Mint Family, and it’s also an Evergreen shrub.  Which means a lot of the properties from both families, Mint and Evergreen, cross over and intersect at Rosemary.  According to www.britannica.com/plant/rosemary, QUOTE: “Native to the Mediterranean region, rosemary has naturalized throughout much of Europe and is widely grown in gardens in warm climates. The leaves have a pungent, slightly bitter taste and, dried or fresh, are generally used to season foods, particularly lamb, duck, chicken, sausages, seafood, stuffings, stews, soups, potatoes, tomatoes, turnips” END QUOTE.

The site goes on to give a little history about Rosemary, QUOTE:  “In ancient times rosemary was believed to strengthen the memory; in literature and folklore it is an emblem of remembrance and fidelity. Rosemary is slightly stimulating. In traditional medicine it was a popular aromatic constituent of tonics and liniments. Today its fragrant oil is an ingredient in numerous toiletry products and in vermouth. The essential oil content is from 0.3 to 2 percent, and it is obtained by distillation; its principal component is borneol.” END QUOTE

I’ll get into the essential oil in a bit.  

One of the main compounds in Rosemary is Borneol.  Trying not to get very science-y, besides being a food additive in Europe, and used medicinally in traditional Japanese and Chinese medicine as an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antithrombotic, Borneol is used in conjunction with other drugs to ease convulsions.  It has also been shown to have anticancer and antitumor properties, reduce respiratory illness, fight stress and fatigue, protect neurons from cell death during an ischemic stroke…altering the permeability of the blood-brain barrier.  Too science-y?  It does lots of good stuff!   Borneol is also an insect repellent.  Like other compounds found in herbs, it is synthesized for mass production.  

Other compounds found in Rosemary are Eucalyptol, Camphor, Camphene and Alpha-Pinene.  

I talked about Camphene in the Ginger Episode.  It has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal and anti-congestive properties.  It can also be toxic to your pets.  Like Ginger, keep Rosemary away from cats and dogs.  Camphene is closely related to another component of both Rosemary and Ginger, Alpha-Pinene.  To refresh, Alpha-Pinene is an anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, expectorant and bronchodilator, which is used to help with Alzheimer’s, different kinds of cancers, dementia and to ease depression.  Oh, and it’s also an insect repellent.  

Camphor is also found in Lavender, which I discussed in Season 2, Episode 15.  To refresh, there’s more Camphor in French Lavender than English Lavender, whose scent resembles that of Rosemary.  Among other things, it’s an insecticide and an analgesic, and is used in many over-the counter medications and as flavoring in other food and beverages.  Also, the US FDA prohibits over-the-counter medication from containing more than 11% camphor.  

Eucalyptol is the main component of Eucalyptus.  According to pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Eucalyptol, QUOTE:  “ Eucalyptol is naturally produced cyclic ether and monoterpenoid. Eucalyptol is an ingredient in many brands of mouthwash and cough suppressant. It controls airway mucus hypersecretion and asthma via anti-inflammatory cytokine inhibition. Eucalyptol is an effective treatment for nonpurulent rhinosinusitis. Eucalyptol reduces inflammation and pain when applied topically. It kills leukaemia cells in vitro.”  END QUOTE

An article on Science Direct, found at www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/eucalyptol, states that, it is extracted from many plants.  QUOTE:  “It is a natural substance derived from many herbal plants that commonly used in the management of many chronic syndromes like asthma, airway mucus hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its recent studies show that eucalyptol have both food and nonfood properties.

Many mouthwash and cough medication companies use eucalyptol as a constituent. It is also used in beauty and skincare industry in the treatment and prevention of acne. The oil's antiinflammatory characteristics help to reduce redness and other inflammatory symptoms, making it a great skin moisturizer (Table 4.2).

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved eucalyptol in preparation of foodstuffs to improve their odor and flavor. Eucalyptol is used to flavor a variety of nutraceuticals, cakes, creams, and other foods in almost every country. Developing and underdeveloped countries must take steps to guarantee that the amount of eucalyptol used in food preparations is safe, as it has some harmful effect because its extensive use could be fetal and consumer can face stomach pain, dizziness and muscle weakness due to some allergic reaction in the body.”  END QUOTE

I don’t mean to sound like a broken record, but there is such a thing as “too much”.  The small amounts generally used in cooking are harmless, however, ingesting large amounts of Rosemary at a time can cause gastrointestinal irritation, renal injury and neurological effects. Moderation.  

If you do start to use Rosemary in the kitchen, there’s lots of ways you can use it.  Dried is more potent than fresh, meaning, you need to use less dried.  Fresh is good if you are slow cooking soup or stew.  You can also infuse Extra Virgin Olive Oil with fresh Rosemary.  My sister gave me a small bottle once for Christmas.  It was sooo good.  Storage is the same as with other herbs – dried is best in an airtight glass container kept in a cool dark spot.  Fresh is best if you can grow your own.  You can also put fresh Rosemary in an ice cube tray, filled with filtered water, and freeze for future use.

Ok, hopefully by now you are making some connections.  First, the common compounds found in different herbs and spices that give you the choice to use different herbs.  This is why it’s so difficult to say “this stuff I made is great and will work for everyone”.  I can’t, but, we can tweak it with different ingredients that do the same thing.  The second connection I’m hoping you’ve made is that folk lore, old wives’ tales, what ever you want to call ancient customs that have been handed down from generation to generation worked.  And there are reasons why they worked, and still work.  Some of the ancient traditions, like placing a Rosemary sprig on a coffin, or in a bride’s headpiece, both as symbols of remembrance, were spot on.  Rosemary is proven to help with memory.  Freaky, I know.

Rosemary, as a medicinal plant, has been used to cure many disorders and diseases related to the Central Nervous System, like Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s.  It’s also been used to treat dyspepsia, high blood pressure, rheumatism, urinary ailments, nervous disorders, hair loss, chronic weakness and digestive issues, to name a few.  

Some of its properties are astringent, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, expectorant, carminative, antirheumatic, analgesic, antimicrobial, hypotensive, antioxidant, antitumor and diuretic.  These properties carry over into the essential oil, especially analgesic, anti-inflammatory, stimulant, antiseptic, anti-fungal, antibacterial, astringent, disinfectant, anti-oxidant and insect repellant.

In aromatherapy, Rosemary Essential oil is used to boost memory and cognitive function.  It’s said to prevent memory loss.  It helps stimulate hair growth and lymphatic functions (which helps reduce cellulite among other things), reduces pain and can be used as a food preservative. 

 In Episode 6 of Season 2, Skin Care Part I, I mentioned that Rosemary Essential Oil is a good choice to add to shampoo and conditioner because it improves hair growth by stimulating the roots and increasing circulation in the scalp.  It improves cellular regeneration, which will improve hair thickness and growth.  The article at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25842469 offers a study on common hair growth treatments specifically for androgenetic alopecia, or AGA.  The study shows that Rosemary Oil was more effective than minoxidil.  

Rosemary is also a good choice to use in bodywash.  

A happy side affect of using Rosemary Essential Oil is that it’s a natural insect repellent.  So, while it’s helping reduce inflammation or calming your nerves, it’s also keeping the bugs away!

Rosemary Essential Oil can be diffused, substituted for any essential oil that’s also an anti-inflammatory, antitumor, anticancer, antioxidant, etc.  And, it can be used in the kitchen!  

As always, if you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email me at vobyjypsee@usa.com, or send a text from the podcast.  You can follow me on X and Instagram … @vobyjypsee; or LinkedIn…search either Chris Wagenti, Who Gets It, Naturally or Voice Overs by Jypsee.  Please download this episode, and make Who Gets It, Naturally a favorite on your preferred channel so you don’t miss an episode.

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