What Is Rosemary?
Rosemary’s desirable flavor and medicinal qualities have carried it from its native Mediterranean to gardens worldwide. Most of it’s grown for culinary use, but the plant has plenty of medicinal value too.
It’s used primarily as a nervine, circulatory stimulant, and digestive.
It stimulates blood flow to the body and brain, promoting mental clarity and moving other herbs deeper into the peripheral blood system.
The volatile oils contained in its leaves stimulate digestion and soothe upset stomachs.
How Is Rosemary Used?
Rosemary is popular in cooking. It’s used medicinally to increase blood flow to the brain, reduce nerve pain, and improve digestion. The essential oil is used topically to promote blood flow and stimulate the hair follicles involved with premature balding.
Botanical Information
Rosemary is a member of the mint family, which is one of the largest plant families. It contains roughly 236 different genera, and 6900-7200 different species.
The Rosmarinus genus contains 4 different species, the one most commonly used as medicine is Rosmarinus officinalis, though the other species also have some use in the regions in which it grows.
It’s hardy to colder climates, but grows primarily in the Mediterranean. It’s also highly drought-resistant, and can survive without water for very long periods of time.
Phytochemistry
Rosemary works through two very different fractions. The aromatic essential oil is a blend of monoterpenes — 1,8-cineole, camphor, α-pinene, borneol and camphene — whose proportions define the plant’s chemotypes (the cineole-, camphor- and verbenone-dominant oils of different growing regions) 1Reference 1Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalisView study →. The non-volatile fraction carries most of rosemary’s antioxidant reputation: the diterpene phenols carnosolic (carnosic) acid and carnosol, with rosmarinic acid and the triterpene ursolic acid — the actives behind standardised rosemary-extract antioxidants used in food and cosmetics 1Reference 1Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalisView study →.
Constituent Summary
Amounts are share of essential oil for the volatile monoterpenes (proportions swing widely by chemotype, season and region) and qualitative for the non-volatile antioxidants; † marks the monoterpenes whose dominance defines the cineole-, camphor- and verbenone-type oils 1Reference 1Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalisView study →.
Monoterpene7 compounds6 with data
Diterpene3 compounds2 with data
Triterpene1 compoundno data
Phenolic acid1 compoundno data
Flavonoid1 compoundno data
Clinical Applications
Rosemary is most useful as a circulatory stimulant, nervine stimulant, carminative and digestive.
It’s used to treat cognitive conditions involving poor blood flow like Alzheimer’s disease, syncope, and headaches. It’s also used as a nootropic and for increasing blood flow to the follicles of the hair to support hair growth. The essential oil is especially useful here for addressing symptoms of premature balding. It’s also an excellent nervine used for conditions like neuralgia, sciatica, and depression when associated with debility or concussion.
Its digestive properties make it useful for addressing flatulence, indigestion, dyspepsia, and recovery from intestinal tract infection.
Cautions & Safety
Avoid using therapeutic doses of rosemary while pregnant. This doesn’t include small doses of rosemary used in cooking.
References
- Satyal, P., Jones, T. H., Lopez, E. M., McFeeters, R. L., Ali, N. A. A., Mansi, I., … Setzer, W. N. (2017). Chemotypic Characterization and Biological Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis. Foods, 6(3), 20. doi:10.3390/foods6030020