Rosemary has an incredible amount of old lore attached to it. Historically, it has been used at weddings, funerals, and any number of celebrations. For weddings, it symbolizes fidelity, while for funerals it symbolizes remembrance. In these celebrations, rosemary has been used both decoratively and as incense. It has a long history of being affiliated with magic, either as a safeguard against witchcraft and evil doing, or as an ingredient in spells, however contradictory that may sound.

Grieve tells us that, “It was an old custom to burn Rosemary in sick chambers, and in French hospitals it is customary to burn Rosemary with Juniper berries to purify the air and prevent infection.”

Though Rosemary is often thought of primarily as a culinary herb, it has great use medicinally as well. In fact, the traditional uses of rosemary point to its medicinal properties. Its association with remembrance indicates  its use for improving memory and encouraging focus, and its uses for both celebrations and funerals hint at its ability to act as an antidepressant. 

Another use for Rosemary is in easing headaches. This can be seen in the traditional uses as the primary ingredient in ‘Hungary Water,’ so named for the Queen of Hungary. Invented sometime in the late 14th century, this ‘water’ is considered one of the first-alcohol based perfumes. Made by distilling Rosemary and Thyme with brandy, the water was both used topically and taken internally as a cure for the queen’s headaches.

Sir Thomas More summed it up nicely when he wrote: “As for Rosmarine, I lett it runne all over my garden walls, not onlie because my bees love it, but because it is the herb sacred to remembrance, and, therefore, to friendship; whence a sprig of it hath a dumb language that maketh it the chosen emblem of our funeral wakes and in our buriall grounds.”