ROSEMARY

ROSEMARY

LATIN NAME: ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS

HOMELAND: MEDITERRANEAN BASIN

And the all-time Oscar winner rosemary…

In the historical process, the rosemary plant first appeared as an important part of the funeral and mourning rituals of Ancient Egypt. We do not know if the doctors and chemists of the Pharaonic era were aware of the effect of cineole in the compound of rosemary, which modern psychopharmacology discovered in the 21st century, on cognitive memory in addition to the treatment of colds, but we do know that they used rosemary sprigs in funeral rites and grave visits with the belief that it revives memories.

Rosemary traditions of Ancient Egypt increased their importance and methods and passed to Ancient Greece, from there to Rome and later European civilization.

In addition to the funeral and mourning rituals that continued in Ancient Greece and Rome, it became an accessory that students and philosophers kept with them, with the belief that it helps learning and remembering.

In Christian history, it is not in the Bible, but based on oral narratives, both Jesus, as well as St.Maria. There are two stories that are separately associated with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. In the first story, Mary lays the baby Jesus's laundry on the rosemary plants to dry, and with the effect of the sun, the scent of rosemary, reminiscent of a mixture of lemon, pine and mint, passes into the baby Jesus's laundry and then on to the baby Jesus's skin. In other words, rosemary is the scent of Jesus.

In the other story, Mary spreads her cloak over the rosemary plants during a break whil emigrating from Jerusalem to Egypt. According tot his belief, thes mell of the cloak of Mary passes to the rosemary plant and its color to the flowers. In other words, rosemarys scent is the scent of Mary.


In medieval Europe, almost a main character comes to the fore in primarily poetry, novels, and most importantly, Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The most notable of these is Ophelia's interest in the rosemary plant in the Drama Hamlet. Ophelia gives her brother Leartes a sprig of rosemary to not forget and remember her while he is on a trip to France.

Rosemary, which started in Ancient Egypt and continued with medieval poetry and literature, added the title of the plant that plays the most roles in Hollywood movies in modern age, and perhaps became the oscar-winning plant of the botanical world of all time.