Rosemary extract

Rosemary extracts are well-known plant-derived natural antioxidants commonly used in the food processing industry to preserve oxygen-sensitive foods like beef, poultry and pork. Rosemary has been used as a natural medicinal agent for centuries for the treatment of digestive, dermal, respiratory, cardiovascular, rheumatism, joint and muscle pain-related illnesses.

Rosemary is an aromatic herb rich in antioxidant compounds such as rosmarinic acid. Rosemary has been used as a dietary spice and traditional medicine. In animal experiments, the administration of rosemary extracts and rosmarinic acid has been associated with anti-depressant and neuroprotective effects and improvements in learning and memory. Although clinical evidence for the beneficial effects of rosemary extracts is lacking, improvements in memory performance, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in university students following continuous intake of dried powdered aerial parts of rosemary for 1 month have been reported[1].

These antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-tumour activities are related to the abundance of bioactive compounds in this herb, such as rosmarinic and carnosic acid, and their richness with polyphenols and flavonoids. Rosemary is a culinary spice with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticarcinogenic, and antimicrobial features. This extract modulates cytokine production via several pathways. Rosemary extract reduces P. acnes–induced inflammation in vitro and in vivo. Diterpene phenol extract of Rosmarinus officinalis administrated at 100 and 200 mg/kg BW on BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats can inhibit excessive collagen-I deposition and the up-regulation of TGF-β1 expression by interfering with TGF-β Smad signalling pathway activation on type I procollagen target gene. Furthermore, the antifibrotic activity of rosemary leaf extract administrated at 75 mg/kg BW pointed out the protective effect of this plant extract against BLM-induced oxidative stress and lung fibrosis in rats, which is related to its phenolic compounds.

[1] Risa Araki. “Effects of Continuous Intake of Rosemary Extracts on Mental Health in Working Generation Healthy Japanese Men: Post-Hoc Testing of a Randomized Controlled Trial.” Nutrients (2020).