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Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) and Infection (general): evidence and sources
inferred from antimicrobial action
For educational purposes only, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified practitioner before using medicinal plants, especially alongside prescribed medication, during pregnancy, or for a serious condition.
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Full Rosemary monograph →All plants for infection (general) →
2 sources supporting Rosemary for Infection (general). Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's antimicrobial action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary) is a medicinal plant native to the Mediterranean region and cultivated around the world. Besides the therapeutic purpose, it is commonly used as a condiment and food preservative. R. officinalis L. is constituted by bioactive molecules, the phytocompounds, responsible for implement several pharmacological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiproliferative, antitumor and protective, inhibitory and attenuating activities. Thus, in vivo and in vitro studies were presented in this Review, approaching the therapeutic and prophylactic effects of R. officinalis L. on some physiological disorders caused by biochemical, chemical or biological agents. In this way, methodology, mechanisms, results, and conclusions were described. The main objective of this study was showing that plant products could be equivalent to the available medicines.
The discovery of new curative drugs and the consumption of natural dietary ingredients with the ability to exhibit immunomodulatory activity is urgently needed to decrease the risk of chronic diseases among the population. Rosmarinus officinalis (Lamiaceae) is an aromatic plant that has been traditionally and medicinally used as a carminative, antispasmodic, painkiller, circulatory tonic, to stimulate hair growth and to improve memory dysfunction. This study aimed to assess the potential effects of rosemary solvent extracts on human immune function. Science Direct, Web of Science, Wiley, Elsevier, PubMed, Scopus, and the Google scholar search engines were used to retrieve relevant information included combinations of "rosemary" or "R. officinalis" with "immune function," "immunity," "immune system," "anti-inflammatory," "inflammation," or "health benefit." A number of studies have been found a stimulatory effect of rosemary and its active compounds on the immune system in vitro and animal study, but there is a lack of evidence in humans for supporting this. The results demonstrated the potential of rosemary and its main active components as dietary ingredients with immunomodulatory functionality. Human studies should be performed and a double-blind randomized controlled trial would be ideal.