Use Rosemary as a Nerve Tonic and Stress Buster Rev. Carol A. Ingle (Raven)

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

Use Rosemary as a Nerve Tonic and Stress Buster

We've all had times when stress and nerves have gotten the best of us. In fact, with today's job demands and fast-paced lifestyles, chronic stress that just won't go away is quite common. Unfortunately, this can take quite a toll on our physical and emotional health, so if you're there or anywhere close, the herb rosemary might be just what you need.

Rosemary is known to calm the nerves and relax the muscles. Rosemary also boosts blood flow to the brain which helps us think more clearly while improving memory. Just smelling the herb has been found to lower cortisol levels - and high cortisol levels are associated with stress. Specifically, elevated cortisol kicks in our "fight or flight" response and by bringing down cortisol levels, we're able to move into relaxation mode.

Rosemary is also thought to stimulate our adrenal glands to provide energy while lifting moods and relieving stress. What a great little herb - it drops stress levels while giving us the energy and clear head to tackle whatever it is that's stressing us out.

A compound in rosemary, carnosic acid, has also been found to simulate nerve growth; this is a protein vital for the growth and maintenance of nerve tissue. This means that rosemary helps build and repair our nervous system so that going forward, we're better able to handle stressful situations. In fact, this natural compound in rosemary is so effective that a chemical company has patented a derivative of it for use with Alzheimer's patients. Other research has found that carnosic acid offers protection in the brain from common agricultural pesticides implicated in Parkinson's disease.

Rosemary is often made into a tea for medicinal effects. To make a raw rosemary tea (because herbs are more powerful raw) just take three inches of fresh rosemary and blend it for a couple of minutes with a cup of water. Then, strain and add a bit of stevia for sweetness.

If you're really on edge, you might also want to use fresh rosemary in a liver cleansing coffee enema. The before and after differences in stress levels can be amazing. To do this, blend a sprig of fresh rosemary with three cups of water, then strain and add the liquid to a cooled one gallon coffee enema. Then, retain the mixture in your body for several minutes, and release and repeat until you've used all of your solution. Of course, you'll always want to replenish your healthy bacteria immediately after doing any enemas.

Because many common chemicals damage our nervous systems and make us feel nervous and anxious in general, using fresh rosemary in a coffee enema performs double duty by removing some of those poisons while relaxing us and relieving stress at the same time. The best part: with this method you'll often feel the relaxation benefits instantly - especially with chronic stress.

For on-going nervous system building, you can get into the habit of chopping and adding a teaspoon of fresh rosemary to your salads, baked potatoes, and soups. You don't want to overdo rosemary though. Two cups of the tea a day should be more than enough and it's best to use the rosemary coffee enema only twice a week for a month before taking a break. Rosemary is also a powerful antioxidant with potent antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer properties. Rosemary, however, shouldn't be taken in quantity by pregnant women.

More:

http://www.cancerlynx.com/rosemary.html
http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/artic...
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/...
http://stress.about.com/od/stresshe...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerve_...
http://news.google.com/patents?id=i...

[AZureGray]

Wow, so much wonderful information. Thank you. I recently moved to another state and had to leave my garden behind. And of course, my beautiful rosemary bush as well... Time to start a new garden!
Blessings to you,
AZureGray