03 – Salvia rosmarinus

An aromatic shrub 50 to 150 cm high with lanceolate leaves (lance-shaped: elongated and narrow) with a revolute margin, i.e. with the edges slightly curved downwards. It forms inflorescences of three to fifteen flowers grouped in small purplish-blue terminal rachis (with the exception of the variety only found in the Balearic archipelago, which has white flowers). The fruit is a tetraquenium, a small structure separated into four parts (mericarps). Each mericarp contains an ovule, which, once fertilised, produces a small brown seed. Each fruit produces four seeds. It flowers in two seasons: firstly in spring and secondly in autumn.

Its medicinal properties come from its essential oil and extracts. It contains forty-six metabolites that have strong antioxidant, healing, antiseptic, analgesic, digestive and other properties. It also helps with hair growth. Furthermore, it is used in gastronomy, for food preservation, in perfumery and in the pharmaceutical industry, which extracts some metabolites to fight cancer and diabetes.

Its use dates back to Ancient Greece and Rome. The ancient Greeks and Romans considered it a sacred plant and associated it with recall and memory. In Greece, students wore rosemary wreaths during exams because it was believed to improve memory. In the language of flowers (a secret code that was popular in Victorian England when they could not express themselves openly) rosemary signifies good faith and honesty.