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uses and benefits of rosemary leaf
  • Natural Home

Rosemary Benefits and Uses

Katie WellsMar 16, 2022
Reading Time: 4 min

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Wellness Mama » Blog » Natural Home » Rosemary Benefits and Uses
Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Rosemary: Dew of the Sea
  • Rosemary Benefits+−
    • Improves Cognitive Function
    • May Have Anti-Cancer Properties
    • Helps Reduce Stress
    • Improves Hair and Skin Health
    • Reduces (Menstrual) Pain
    • Improves Mental Energy
    • Supports Gastric Health
  • Uses of Rosemary at Home+−
    • Fresh or Dried Herb Uses:
    • Essential Oil Uses:
  • Where to Buy Rosemary Leaves
  • Is Rosemary Safe?
  • Rosemary Benefits and Uses: Bottom Line

I love herbs for their ability to enhance any dish and to support optimal health. Rosemary is no exception. Rosemary has many amazing benefits, ranging from boosting hair health to even having some anti-cancer properties.

Rosemary: Dew of the Sea

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is Latin for “dew of the sea.” It’s often found growing naturally along sea cliffs. Today, rosemary is grown in many climates and is a very hardy herb. Rosemary leaf is an aromatic herb in the mint family that grows on an evergreen bush. It is most often used in cooking but has a wonderful woodsy scent that is great in air fresheners and aromatherapy mixes.

Rosemary Benefits

Rosemary is an amazing herb with many (some surprising!) benefits. Its health benefits are most often attributed to its high level of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. These antioxidants include carnosic acid, ursolic acid, carnosol, rosmarinic acid, and caffeic acid.

Improves Cognitive Function

Rosemary is a very aromatic herb, and as it turns out, its scent can help boost cognitive function.

In one controlled study, rosemary and lavender essential oils were studied for their aromatherapy uses. Participants that performed cognitive assessment tests while inhaling rosemary essential oils were significantly more alert than the control or lavender groups. The rosemary and lavender groups were significantly more content than the control group.

Rosemary can also be used to inhibit the cognitive decline of some patients. Rosemary has been used traditionally to reduce cognitive decline in aging, and at least one study confirms this connection. What it found was that culinary doses of rosemary significantly helped reduce cognitive decline.

Interestingly, a high dose of rosemary had the opposite effect, showing that more is not always better.

May Have Anti-Cancer Properties

One of the amazing benefits of rosemary is its anti-cancer properties. In a study published in the journal Phytomedicine, rosemary extract inhibited the proliferation of ovarian cancer cells.

In another study published in Cancer Letters, researchers found that rosemary had promise as a treatment for many cancers, including:

  • prostate
  • breast
  • skin
  • leukemia
  • colon

They also found that the rosemary treatment seems to only affect cancerous cells, not healthy cells.

Helps Reduce Stress

Stress is such a health hazard that even if you have everything else under control (diet, exercise, etc.), stress can derail your wellness goals. That’s why stress management is so important. A 2007 study found that inhaling lavender and rosemary essential oils decreased cortisol levels in the saliva. It also increased free radical scavenging activity.

Improves Hair and Skin Health

One of rosemary’s oldest uses is for healthy hair and skin. An article published in Evidence-Based Complementary Alternative Medicine explains that rosemary essential oils can help relieve skin issues such as:

  • acne
  • bacterial infections
  • sebum imbalance
  • cellulite
  • congested and oily conditions
  • dandruff
  • dermatitis
  • dry scalp
  • eczema
  • rosacea

Another study found that rosemary essential oil was as helpful in regrowing hair as a conventional treatment (minoxidil).

Reduces (Menstrual) Pain

Rosemary is helpful in reducing the pain of dysmenorrhea (painful menstruation). Research shows it’s also likely safe to use alongside pharmaceutical pain medications.

Improves Mental Energy

Inhalation of rosemary essential oils can benefit the brain. This study found that rosemary aromatherapy can stimulate the brain and affect brain wave activities, autonomic nervous system responses, and mood.

Supports Gastric Health

Rosemary has been used for centuries for stomach and gastric issues though there are no studies that support this use. However, a 1999 review article concluded that rosemary supports liver health by increasing bile production and protecting the liver from damage. When the liver is functioning well, digestion works much more smoothly.

Uses of Rosemary at Home

Rosemary is a wonderfully fragrant herb that has many uses around the home and not just in food recipes. Here are some ways I use it:

  • Homemade Italian Seasoning mix
  • Herbal Mouthwash
  • Hair Growth Serum
  • Herbal Hair Rinse
  • Solar-Infused Herbal Oils
  • Healing Salve
  • Four Thieves Vinegar

Fresh or Dried Herb Uses:

  • Dried or fresh rosemary can be used in cooking. Rosemary is great with meat dishes (especially lamb). Add black pepper and other Italian herbs for a Mediterranean flavor.
  • Rosemary can be infused into an oil (like olive oil) and used externally for skin irritations like eczema and other irritations listed above.
  • A strong infusion of rosemary and nettle leaf is an excellent herbal rinse for hair. It can help get rid of dandruff and speed hair growth when used after each washing.
  • Rosemary-infused oil is an intensive treatment for bad dandruff or hair loss and can be rubbed on hair, left for at least an hour, and washed out. This really improves scalp condition!
  • My favorite natural air freshener is to put a small handful of rosemary sprigs, one sliced lemon or orange, and a splash of vanilla into a saucepan and simmer on low all day (watch the water levels). It smells amazing and freshens the house for days.

Essential Oil Uses:

  • Rosemary oil can be used externally on the skin or hair (always dilute with a carrier oil first).
  • Rosemary is also helpful in warding off smaller pests like mosquitos and is an ingredient in my homemade Bug-Off Bars.
  • Used externally, rosemary oil can help soothe the stomach and relieve pain from indigestion, menstrual cramps, or other difficulties.
  • Rosemary antioxidant extract is a very effective natural preservative that can extend the shelf life of homemade lotions, cosmetics, or other homemade body products.

Where to Buy Rosemary Leaves

I like to get my dried herbs from Starwest Botanicals and my essential oils from Plant Therapy. Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs to grow. It’s easy to care for if you follow some tips:

  • Because it’s a Mediterranean plant, rosemary loves warm sunny spots.
  • It can even be grown indoors.
  • It can go long periods without water.
  • Prune after flowering.
  • Prune regularly to keep the plant healthy and attractive.

Many people who are not good with plants can keep a rosemary bush alive—it’s that easy to grow!

Is Rosemary Safe?

Rosemary is considered safe for most people in culinary amounts and has few side effects. But there are some people who should avoid it in medicinal amounts.

  • Pregnant women should not use rosemary in large amounts (cooking is fine) and should avoid the essential oils.
  • Breastfeeding women should also avoid large amounts of rosemary as there’s not enough known about how it affects this population.
  • Those with an aspirin allergy should not take medicinal amounts of rosemary.
  • Those with seizure or bleeding disorders should also avoid large amounts of rosemary.
  • Rosemary can raise blood pressure, so it may not be safe for those with elevated blood pressure.

If you’re unsure, check with your doctor to see if rosemary is safe for you.

Rosemary Benefits and Uses: Bottom Line

There are many uses for rosemary leaf beyond its use in cooking. Rosemary has been used by traditional communities for centuries, and science is just beginning to back up some of these traditional uses.

Ever used rosemary for something other than cooking? Tell me about it below!

Sources
  1. Moss, M., Cook, J., Wesnes, K., & Duckett, P. (2003, January). Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults. International Journal of Neuroscience, 113(1):15-38.
  2.  Pengelly, A., Snow, J., Mills, S. Y., Scholey, A., Wesnes, K., & Butler, L. R. (2012, January). Short-term study on the effects of rosemary on cognitive function in an elderly population. Journal of Medicinal Food, 15(1):10-7.
  3. Tai, J., Cheung, S., Wu, M., & Hasman, D. (2012, March 15). Antiproliferation effect of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) on human ovarian cancer cells in vitro. Phytomedicine, 19(5):436-43.
  4. Johnson, J. J. (2011, June 01). Carnosol: A promising anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory agent. Cancer Letters, 305(1):1-7.
  5. Atsumi, T., & Tonosaki, K. (2007, February 28). Smelling lavender and rosemary increases free radical scavenging activity and decreases cortisol level in saliva. Psychiatric Research, 150(1):89-96.
  6. Orchard, A., & van Vuuren, S. (2017, May 4). Commercial Essential Oils as Potential Antimicrobials to Treat Skin Diseases. Evidence-Based Complimentary and Altnerative Medicine.
  7. Panahi, Y., Taghizadeh, M., Marzony, E. T., & Sahebkar, A. (2015, Jan-Feb). Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: A randomized comparative trial. SKINMed Journal, 13(1):15-21.
  8. Raskovic, A., Milanovic, I., Pavlovic, N., Milijasevic, B., Ubavic, M., & Mikov, M. (2015, January). Analgesic effects of rosemary essential oil and its interactions with codeine and paracetamol in mice. European Review for Medical and Pharmological Sciences, 19(1):165-72.
  9. Sayorwan, W., Ruangrungsi, N., Piriyapunyporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Siripornpanich, V. (2013, April-June). Effects of Inhaled Rosemary Oil on Subjective Feelings and Activities of the Nervous System. Scientia Pharmaceutica, 81(2): 531–542.
  10. Al-Sereiti, M. R., Abu-Amer, K. M., & Sen, P. (1999, February 1). Pharmacology of rosemary (Rosmarinus oificinalis Linn.) and its therapeutic potentials. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology.
Category: Natural Home

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (45 Comments)

  1. Jona

    March 9, 2015 at 4:14 AM

    Rosemary is used for treating colds (flu) by inhaling smell from fresh leaves. Also very good for garnishing of meat leaving it with a nice and sweet smell.

    Jon,

    Reply
  2. tonya carr

    February 28, 2015 at 2:17 PM

    What can u use rosemary in and for what thanx

    Reply
  3. Maria

    January 29, 2015 at 9:35 AM

    Is it ok to use rosemary extract in soap during pregnancy? I would like to use an organic soap I found instead of all the cancer causing soaps and shampoos I have used in the past but it uses rosemary extract as a preservative.

    Reply
  4. ann

    December 30, 2014 at 5:10 PM

    You can use rosemary as a wash rinse on your dogs gives them a shiny coat also helps to protect them from flees.

    Reply
  5. sandydee

    November 16, 2014 at 6:26 PM

    Can you make cookies with rosemary?

    Reply
  6. Caitlin

    October 20, 2014 at 5:08 PM

    Hi,
    What is the ratio rosemary leaf to olive oil if I wanted to infuse on the stovetop and use for the scalp treatment you mention above? Can this then be used in place of Rosemary Essential Oil?
    Thanks Katie!

    Reply
  7. Amy Funari

    September 13, 2014 at 9:05 PM

    I read a few of your articles and love what your doing! Thank you for this information on Rosemary. My family loves tht herb as well.

    Reply
  8. Diana

    September 5, 2014 at 7:00 AM

    I use rosemary essential oil (antimicrobial, anti viral & a natural antibiotic) with my FOODGRADE hydrogen peroxide 3% (a few drops of REO will do)…I keep this mixture in a small blue vile and squirt some into my mouth with the droper before brushing my teeth) I use this as a mouth wash/rinse and it is a natural teeth whitener as well…super refreshing! My gums are pretty in pink now and my teeth feel as if they have been to the Dentist twice a day…fresh and clean…lov’n it. Thanks Katie for all the information I couldn’t do without it. Going greener is fabulous not only for myself but for our planet.

    Reply
  9. Frankie

    July 2, 2014 at 5:52 PM

    I recently noticed a article on rosemary, it said it would help memory or brain cells, if you smelled it every day. Can,t find article then saw your website. Have you heard this?

    Reply
    • Katie - Wellness Mama

      July 3, 2014 at 2:35 PM

      I wrote about Rosemary in this post.

      Reply
    • Ikara Aloysius Ronnie

      September 10, 2014 at 2:29 AM

      can rosemary be used on patients with Stomach ulcers?

      Reply
  10. tas

    May 24, 2014 at 4:49 AM

    can someone use fresh rosemary with other herbs infused hair oil during pregnancy? i understand that one should not use rosemary essential oil?
    i am trying to grow out my hairs. m hairs are not regrowing on front and i am having shiny and oily scalp as well.i have so much less hair that you can see my scalp.i even cannot see hair roots. i used to have so much thick hairs but its gone now. i am also have pcos , vit d , vit b deficiencies and low ferritin level as well. (its improved from 17 ton 27 now), my weight also shoot up to 256 pounds. does weight loss also helps in hair growth.. with 2 kids i am feeling so much stressed these days..
    please give me some suggestions how i can overcome these things and specially my hair loss that blowing my confidence away,,,

    Reply
    • Arden

      July 9, 2015 at 1:51 AM

      Hi I have actually since losing weight been having my hair thin too I have just found out that I have PCOS to help my PCOS so we can conceive I have to lose weight. I have lost 5 pounds so far out of the 25 I have to lose and hair loss is a part of weight loss. I take a prenatal vitamin and drink water like crazy BUT I have curly hair and I infuse rosemary with apple cider vinegar with my conditioner and it has helped A LOT

      Reply
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