Rosemary is a favorite culinary herb around the world and has been for thousands of years. It’s best used fresh and uncooked to add at the end of cooking to preserve its healing properties, but heating it enhances your favorite meats and vegetables with the special flavor that so many love. Among its many uses, rosemary improves memory and sharpens the mind. Brain research shows that it helps with mind activity and aids in mental retention and focus; it is prescribed for Alzheimer’s and dementia patients but it’s a good brain tonic for all of us. Next time you lose your keys or forget something, eat some rosemary! Rosemary boosts immunity; soothes the stomach by relieving gas and helping with both constipation or diarrhea; and is a diuretic which helps flush out toxins. It is also used as an analgesic to dampen headaches and migraines and even the smell of rosemary can help relieve moodiness and stress. It’s often used in aromatherapy. Rosemary is the herb that matches with Type 5 of the Enneagram, called the Knowledge Seeker or Observer. 5s tend to have good memories and are always thinking about their current mental project or invention. 5s are great at word games, puzzles and mental solutions so you’ll likely lose to them in Scrabble or Boggle! 5s analyze, systematize, theorize and wed different informational systems to add to the knowledge of the world. They’re often on their smartphones looking up the latest question you are asking. The likes of Thomas Jefferson — a major inventor and a political genius — and Thomas Edison, were both 5s who added much knowledge and genius to the world.  Many people think Rosemary not only helps with the mind but also with emotional balance, groundedness and heightened physical vitality, perfect for 5s and most of us in New England who are too heady. Rosemary was considered sacred by the Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. Shakespeare, in his well-known Hamlet, said, “There’s rosemary, known for remembrance.” Rosemary was grown into graves for remembrance for the dead. Rosemary is a perennial woody plant native to the Mediterranean that can grow up to 5 or 6 feet tall and even be used as a hedge in warm climates! It’s hardy and often planted outdoors much earlier than other herbs as it can grow in frosty ground and it can even flower into early December. It’s an aromatic evergreen with beautiful blue flowers that sometimes can be white or pink. Don’t miss their beauty if you let it flower. Rosemary is drought resistant, pest resistant, ornamental and easy to grow. What else do you need, to start planting it? It can be pruned and made into a topiary plant, as well as groundcover if trimmed. It has some exciting phytochemicals in its makeup including rosmarinic acid, caffeic acid and camphor. While it’s somewhat of a miracle drug, it can have side effects. It’s not recommended for children and not recommended to be taken if you are on blood pressure medicine or have ulcers, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. It may alter blood sugar levels. Consult your doctor if you are taking blood thinners. Whether you are a Type 5 or not, consider making rosemary a staple in your herbal repertoire to sharpen your mind, memory and analytical thinking. As you enjoy its smell and flavor you’ll join the millions who have, like me, a bit of obsession around it.  Herb Pearce is an expert on the Enneagram with 28+ years experience. He has authored four books on the Enneagram including his most recent work, Presidential Profiles: Washington to Trump - Enneagram and Myers-Briggs Perspectives. Herb has taught over 2000 Enneagram workshops and has worked with hundreds of organizations, individuals and couples using the Enneagram in his counseling practice. Herb resides in Arlington, Massachusetts where he is a practicing psychotherapist and life coach. He emphasizes developing the strengths of all 9 Enneagram types and is known for his exacting insights, moderated by gentleness, humor and compassion. You can learn more at www.herbpearce.com or email him directly at [email protected].
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