I know the weather is relatively warm right now.
And most people are tucking into salads, barbequed chicken and ice creams over the weekends.
But I still love the occasional Sunday roast dinner, even in the height of summer.
As long as the kitchen windows are wide open with some good music playing, I don’t mind the hot oven on a sunny afternoon – especially when it’s emitting wonderful, herby smells.
We’ve got tonnes of rosemary growing in the garden (as always), so it gives me a great opportunity to use one of my favourite herbs (I chuck it onto roast meats and use it in the roast potatoes too).
Even when I make veggie food (which is more and more often these days) I often find a place for rosemary.
And it’s not simply the flavour…
It’s such a mentally evocative ingredient for me whenever I catch a whiff of it…
When the kids were young, I remember showing them how to release the most incredible aroma from the tiniest green needle.
I also recall that my mum carried out an odd ritual whenever she made roast lamb.
She’d take a sprig of rosemary, rub it between her palms, and inhale deeply before adding it to the roasting tin.
“Good for the head,” she explained to me once. “Also stops our house smelling like fat.”
I didn’t question it at the time.
But it turns out she was on to something…
Why Rosemary is So Good For Your Brain
In folk medicine, rosemary has a long association with memory and mental clarity.
In ancient Greece, students would weave rosemary into garlands and wear them around their heads while studying, believing the herb could sharpen concentration and improve their powers of recall.
The Romans burned rosemary as incense in sacred spaces to purify the air.
Sprigs of rosemary were often carried during weddings, funerals, and festivals as a sign of remembrance.
This link between rosemary and memory persisted into the Elizabethan era.
Shakespeare immortalised it in Hamlet when the doomed character, Ophelia says: “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance. Pray you, love, remember.”
During the Middle Ages, rosemary was used as a medicinal herb when people burned it to cleanse the air, ward off plague, and lift melancholy.
The famous 17th-century herbalist Nicholas Culpeper praised it for exactly this, writing: “It helps a weak memory, and quickens the senses.”
Now rosemary is being studied by 21st-century scientists for its remarkable effects on the brain.
In one study, volunteers were given memory tasks to complete in rooms either scented with rosemary essential oil… or not.
The rosemary-scented group performed significantly better. And the more 1,8-cineole (a key compound in rosemary) that was found in their bloodstream, the better they did.
This compound is believed to help preserve acetylcholine, a brain chemical essential for learning, memory and recall. It’s the same neurotransmitter targeted by some Alzheimer’s medications.
And that’s just the benefits of the aroma!
When taken as tea, tincture, or infused oil, rosemary delivers health-boosting compounds like these:
• Carnosic acid – a powerful antioxidant that helps protect brain cells from damage caused by oxidative stress, a key driver of cognitive decline.
• Rosmarinic acid and ursolic acid – known for their anti-inflammatory effects, especially useful if chronic inflammation is affecting your joints, digestion or skin.
• Antimicrobial compounds – rosemary oil has been shown to help inhibit bacteria and fungi, useful for both food preservation and potentially the skin.
So how should you use it?
Tips for Medicinal Rosemary Consumption
For most people, rosemary is safe when used in food or as tea or essential oil (for scent, not drinking).
To get the benefits you could:
• Crush a sprig and inhale whenever you’re feeling tired or distracted.
• Add fresh rosemary to soups, stews, or roasted veg – it releases its compounds beautifully in heat and oil.
• Make a simple rosemary tea. Steep a few fresh sprigs in hot water for 5–10 minutes.
• Use rosemary essential oil in a diffuser. It may help with focus, stress, and even sleep quality.
To make your rosemary oil you’ll need a clean glass jar with a lid plus a muslin cloth.
Wash and dry a large bunch of rosemary sprigs thoroughly. (Moisture can cause mould, so let it air dry for a full day or two.)
Next, lightly bruise the leaves with a rolling pin to help release the oils. Then put the rosemary into the jar and cover completely with a carrier oil like jojoba or olive oil.
Now place the jar in a warm area for 1–2 weeks, gently shaking it once every day.
After the oil has infused, strain it through muslin cloth into your bottle.
However, if you’re going to consume this oil, take care…
Concentrated extracts or large doses can pose a few potential risks. Too much rosemary can cause nausea or, in rare cases, seizures, especially in people with epilepsy.
Pregnant women should avoid high doses, and if you’re on blood thinners or medication, best to check with your GP before supplementing.
Anyway, for me there’s nothing better than throwing it onto a roast dinner, which certainly can’t do you any harm!
And this is precisely what I plan to do this Sunday.
