A Guide to Benefits of Rosemary: Magical, Medical & More

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Discover everything there is to know about this multipurpose herb

Co-authored by Janice Tieperman Reviewed by Stina Garbis

Last Updated: November 27, 2023 Fact Checked

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Overview

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Magickal & Spiritual Uses

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Medicinal Properties

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Cultural Meanings

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Rosemary Mythology

Beautiful, fragrant, and a delicious ingredient to boot, it’s pretty tough to count all of rosemary’s amazing qualities, especially its magical (or, as much of the spiritual community says, "magickal") ones. Just what, exactly, is this magnificent herb fully capable of, though—and, most importantly, how can you add a little bit of its magick to your own life? We’ve covered absolutely everything you need to know about rosemary, from its metaphysical properties to its medicinal ones. We’ve even taken a closer look at rosemary’s role in history and mythology, so you can know absolutely everything there is to know about this versatile herb.

Things You Should Know

Rosemary is used to both attract love and safeguard existing relationships. For example, arranging sprigs of rosemary around your home can help protect your marriage.
Rosemary is known as a protective herb—hang it up in front of your home to ward off any bad vibes and negative energy.
Rosemary has purifying qualities and can be used to smudge and cleanse your living space.

Section 1 of 5:

Magickal Overview of Rosemary

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Rosemary is a versatile herb that can transform your life. The magickal benefits are endless, and the medicinal ones are plentiful, too. From protection and purification to pain and indigestion relief, there’s no doubt that rosemary is an essential item for your pantry.
- Magickal properties: Love, fertility, faithfulness, purification, cleansing, protection
- Magickal affiliations: Aphrodite, Virgin Mary
- Astrological connections: Leo, fire, the Sun
- Medicinal properties: Antimicrobial, pain relief, indigestion, cognitive function

Section 2 of 5:

Magickal Spells & Spiritual Uses for Rosemary

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Use rosemary sachets and sprigs to protect against dark energy and bad dreams. Worried that someone is using black magick and sending some bad vibes your way? Never fear—rosemary is heralded as a protective and purifying herb that can ward off dark vibes and negative energy.^{[1]
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- Spell for general protection: Create sachets filled with rosemary and hang them up around the front side of your home.^{[2]
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  Research source} If you don’t feel like making sachets, simply grow rosemary around the entrance of your home, if there’s space on your property.^{[3]
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- Spell for bad dreams: Slip a rosemary sprig under your pillow to keep away any bad dreams at night.^{[4]
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As an herb, rosemary has purifying properties—in other words, it can clear away and completely cleanse any dark energy from a room. All you have to do is dry out your rosemary, bring a bundle of it together, and secure it with twine. Then, ignite the dried rosemary and guide the smoke around to smudge the space.^{[5]
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Burn rosemary to help cleanse your aura and heart chakra. In the spiritual world, your aura is an invisible, electromagnetic field that covers your entire being. If you’re giving off too many low-energy frequencies into the universe, your aura might need a bit of a cleanse.^{[6]
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Research source} That’s where rosemary comes in—breathing in the scent of it can help boost your level of consciousness and cleanse your aura, giving it a nice refresh. Additionally, smudging rosemary may help your heart chakra open up more.^{[7]
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- How to use rosemary for your heart chakra: Smudge some rosemary and take a moment to meditate. As you breathe in the rosemary, imagine a green light that’s illuminated on top of your heart, becoming more luminous with each passing second. This ritual helps you approach the day with a little more love in your heart.
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Use rosemary in a variety of love spells.Rosemary has a lot of romantic symbolism attached to it—not only does it help attract romance to a person’s life, but it can also avert unfaithfulness in an established relationship. According to some, rosemary can even eliminate jealousy from a partnership.^{[8]
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- Spell for a new relationship: Prepare a meal at home for you and your new partner, adding in a sprig of rosemary before you serve it. The rosemary works as a protective force to help guard your heart in this new relationship.^{[9]
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- Spell for a long-lasting marriage: Hang up rosemary sprigs around your home to protect the longevity of your marriage.
- Spell for a growing family: Combine sprigs of rosemary and pennies in a green-colored drawstring sack. Fasten the sachet somewhere over your bed to supposedly give your fertility a boost.^{[10]
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Drink rosemary tea to receive wisdom. Fill a mesh strainer or reusable sachet with rosemary leaves and place it in a mug. Then, fill the mug with boiling (or almost boiling) water and let it steep for around 2 to 7 minutes. Feel free to enjoy once the tea is cool enough to drink, or add a little bit of honey to make it more palatable.^{[11]
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Consumer Reports
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- According to some who practice witchcraft, sipping a cup of rosemary tea can be a great way to channel more wisdom into your life.
Some research suggests that rosemary can benefit your memory by keeping certain neurotransmitters intact.^{[12]
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Research source} The witchcraft community also advocates for rosemary’s memory-boosting qualities—some witches even suggest diffusing rosemary essential oil while you’re cramming for a test, claiming the herb can help aid your ability to remember.

Section 3 of 5:

Medicinal Properties of Rosemary

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It’s antimicrobial. Research shows that rosemary has antimicrobial qualities—in other words, it can kill off microorganisms like bacteria.^{[13]
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National Cancer Institute
An agency in the National Institutes of Health focused on cancer research and patient support

Go to source} When studied in a lab setting, researchers found that rosemary oil could destroy microorganisms—though it’s important to note that no one has applied this research to real people yet.^{[14]
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- According to some research, rosemary may also have antioxidant-like qualities.
- How to use: Make a homemade disinfectant spray by mixing 10 fl oz (300 mL) of water and 50 drops of rosemary oil in a reusable spray bottle.^{[15]
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  Research source} Don’t have any rosemary oil on hand? Make your own at home.
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It can help with indigestion. When taken orally (such as being boiled into tea), rosemary may help with discomfort in the digestive tract, like extra gas. Sometimes called a “carminative” herb (an herb capable of clearing away extra gas lingering in the intestines or stomach), herbs like rosemary (as well as lavender, thyme, and sage), can provide relief to someone struggling with abdominal pain.^{[16]
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- How to use it: Prepare a rosemary tea with 1 cup (250 mL) of hot water and 2 tsp (10 g) of rosemary leaves. Let the rosemary steep for at least 10 minutes, drinking it a few times during the day if you’d like.^{[17]
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It can help with pain relief. Rosemary oil is used by some as a means of treating rheumatoid arthritis. In fact, the German government has actually validated rosemary oil as an official remedy for this ailment. Affected individuals apply the oil directly to any aggravated joints, which potentially helps clear away the pain.^{[18]
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- Officially, there’s no research out there to back the idea that rosemary oil can help with pain relief.^{[19]
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- How to use it: Combine 5 drops of rosemary oil with 1 tsp (4.9 mL) of carrier oil (like jojoba oil or coconut oil). Then, apply the oil mixture to the sore part of your body.^{[20]
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It boosts your mood and cognitive function.Every time you breathe in rosemary, you’re actually breathing in a compound known as 1,8-cineole. Believe it or not, this substance helps keep your memory sharp and healthy.^{[21]
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- How to use it: Diffuse some rosemary oil in your living space and breathe it in.^{[22]
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Section 4 of 5:

Cultural Meanings of Rosemary

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At funerals, relatives sometimes put rosemary in their deceased loved one’s hands as a tribute.^{[23]
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Research source} Rosemary is also used to honor fallen military heroes—in fact, in Australia and New Zealand, people will wear rosemary pins on Anzac Day (Australia and New Zealand’s equivalent of Veterans Day and Memorial Day) as a thoughtful touch to their nation’s fallen soldiers.^{[24]
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As the bride walked down the aisle, rosemary would be incorporated in her ensemble as a tribute the cherished memories of her old family as she embarked on a new chapter of her life.^{[25]
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Research source} Rosemary can also symbolize virtues like loyalty and jubilation, which is another reason brides would include the herb in their wedding outfits.^{[26]
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Rosemary is historically associated with mental and emotional stimulation. Millennia ago, medical practitioners once used rosemary to help improve people’s memories. In Greece specifically, young scholars even decked themselves out in rosemary wreaths to give their cognitive abilities a boost.^{[27]
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- Back in the Victorian-era France, the meaning for rosemary translated to “your presence revives me.”
Back in those days, people would label pots with the names of potential suitors. Then, they would plant rosemary in each pot and wait for it to grow. The name on the pot that most quickly sported the longest rosemary plant would be the person’s suitor.^{[28]
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Section 5 of 5:

Mythology of Rosemary

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Native to the Mediterranean region, it’s no surprise that rosemary makes a name for itself in Greek mythology—in the birth of Aphrodite, most specifically. As the myth goes, the goddess of love herself was adorned with rosemary when she first made her way out of the sea.^{[29]
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After the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph were warned by an angel to escape to Egypt to avoid the wrath of King Herod. During that journey, Mary apparently draped her cloak over a rosemary shrub, which transformed its originally white blossoms to a blue shade.^{[30]
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