The Many Uses for Rosemary Besides Cooking!

I have quite an extensive herb garden in the back yard and herbs are the one thing I can actually grow pretty well. Not because I am a good gardener but because they are incredibly ‘idiot tolerant’ when it comes to my gardening abilities! I have yet to find a bug that actually attacks most herbs. They are very drought tolerant, meaning that when I forget to water them they don’t care in the least. And they also have very few nutritional needs beyond plain old dirt with a little bit of manure mixed in. I have been growing rosemary for quite a while and here in Georgia the bush will come back several years in a row before it needs to be replaced. Yesterday I went out to the garden to give the rosemary a trim (again!) and realized that I needed to find uses for rosemary besides cooking or I will never use it all up!

The Many Uses for Rosemary Besides Cooking

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Uses for Rosemary besides cooking with it

So, while I love the taste of rosemary on my food, what else can be done with it around the house? Here are a few uses for rosemary that I have found so far. (these are not for rosemary essential oil…you will need actual rosemary for these)!

1. Repelling Mosquito’s from the yard: Mosquitoes hate the smell of rosemary so have it growing in your yard is a good thing. Snip some rosemary and put it in a glass of water on your picnic table to help keep mosquitoes away from you while you eat.

2. Hair Rinse:  Rosemary is great to help clean your hair. Boil half a cup of rosemary in 2 1/2 cups of water. Let cool and use it as a final rinse in the shower. It will help moisturize hair and eliminate dandruff.

3. Cat Repellent: Cats do not like the smell of rosemary. If you want them to stop digging in your garden bed, sprinkle freshly snipped needles around the garden.

4. Gift Accent:  Need to give mom a gift? Tie a few sprigs of fresh rosemary on the package with pretty ribbon for a decorative and beautiful smelling present!

Uses for Rosemary besides cooking

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5. Aromatherapy:  A few sprigs of rosemary simmered in a pot of water on the stove will give your kitchen a wonderful smell. Rosemary is helpful to alleviate headaches, improve mood, support memory function, and improve respiratory health.

6. Fire-starters:  Tie several sprigs of rosemary together and hang them up to dry for a few days. Toss this dried bundle into the fireplace before you light your fire. It will help your far burn easier and give off a lovely smell.

Uses for Rosemary besides cooking

7. Steam Treatment:  One of my favorite uses for rosemary is to use it in a steam facial. This helps open your pores and refresh your skin, leaving you will clearer skin and smaller pores. Check out how to make a steam facial on Pinterest for directions.

8. Homemade Skewers: Okay, technically this one is cooking related but use the leftover rosemary ‘sticks’ as skewers the next time you grill kabobs!

9.  Make Rosemary Tea: Rosemary has shown many therapeutic benefits and one of those is memory support. For people who are struggling with their memory, this idea may be helpful.

10. Sore Throat Aid:  Rosemary is helpful in treating sore throats. Steep rosemary in hot water and let cool. Use this as a gargle with or without a bit of salt to help sooth a sore throat.

Do you have any uses for rosemary that you would like to share?

13 thoughts on “The Many Uses for Rosemary Besides Cooking!”

  1. I never knew you could use rosemary for so many things. Thanks for sharing. My student gave me a rosemary plant recently, and my husband planted it in my backyard, but I didn’t know what to use it for, other than cooking.

    Reply
    • I think it depends on the zone you are in and how harsh your winter is. I know we lost ours after a particularly cold southern winter a few years back!

      Reply
  2. I love the idea of using it as a beautiful accent to a gift, what a fragrant and elegant idea! I love how big rosemary bushes get, but have always wondered what else could be done. I had a friend make little rosemary wreaths for a party, it was wonderful.

    Reply
    • I tried making wreaths from real pine branches and it was harder than I thought! I think working with smaller rosemary branches would be easier!

      Reply
  3. dear diane,
    my name is victoria knight and i love your information on rosemary, but i am doing a report on the plant rosemary and decided to use some of your information since “uses of the plant” is a required topic, so i have to do a bibliography on your website. but the problem is i dont know your last name!! if you personally decided not to put it on your site, i can just do without it, but please consider.

    Reply
    • Thanks for stopping by. Online sites generally don’t require a name for author as far as I know. Just the site, title and date accessed. Hope this helps.

      Reply

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