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Inhaling deeply as you slip into the heated water of a bath, the aroma swirling about your senses like you were lost deep in a pine forest. The ingredient in the bath water - rosemary. Rosemary has more than culinary and medicinal value. The scent is most definitely widely appreciated in aromatherapy to calm and soothe tensions away.

Rosemary, like so many other herbs, has it's own share of legend, mystery, and wives's tales. If a rosemary bush grows vigorously in your garden - it is said to mean the woman is the head of household. In ancient Greece, students wore rosemary garlands during exams to help them remember the answers. For centuries it was thought that rosemary would never grow to higher than 6 feet so it would never stand taller than Christ. It is said that the small flowers on the bush were white, until one day the Virgin Mary hung her cloak upon a bush while fleeing Herod's soldiers. From that point on the flowers were pale blue.

In the Middle Ages it was thought to guard off demons and offer powers of protection. By 1525 the herb began to make an appearance in medicine. The famous Hungary water made from rosemary oil and alcohol was made and supposedly cured Queen Elizabeth of her paralysis. The strong fragrance is well known as is the symbolical that rosemary represents remembrance, friendship, and love. For many centuries rosemary was used in every wedding ceremony with brides wearing wreaths with springs of rosemary to scented water that was blessed being used.

Today herbalist tout infusions of rosemary leaves as a tonic to treat depression, headaches, and muscle spasms. Using an ointment made from rosemary to benefit sufferers of rheumatism, sores, eczema and wounds. Although none of these claims have been proven scientifically, within in oil of the plant is an ingredient called rubefacient. This ingredient is used in a number of liniments on the market today.

As recent as World War II, physicians burned rosemary in hospitals to kill germs in the air. As off base as it sounds, it can help as another property of rosemary oil is antibacterial. Many researchers have studied the reasoning of burning it and have found that the heated oil does in fact send off antibacterial fumes.

Rosemary should be used cautiously when ingesting as it is not studied therapeutically. It is however still considered a safe herb to use. There are a number of species of rosemary, some that have blue, dark blue, pale blue, pink and white flowers. It originally came from the hills in the Mediterranean, Portugal and parts of Spain.

Learn more about this author, Reverend Ashira Goddard.
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