Chers Santies,
Rosemary is a well-known plant. Rosemary's first quality is its flavor, which is slightly minty but also peppery and woody. Scientific research has demonstrated the many health benefits of rosemary, particularly for longevity.
1. Rosemary inhibits carcinogenic compounds in cooked meat!
You probably know that grilling meat - and even worse, barbecuing it - coats your steaks and sausages with carcinogenic compounds, i.e. compounds that increase the risk of cancer. Well, adding romarin to meat, right from the start of cooking, acts against the formation of these compounds. It doesn't prevent them... but it does limit them[1].
If you've been in the habit of adding rosemary to your meat right from the start of cooking, you're protecting yourself from its harmful effects!
2. The scent of memory
" Here is rosemary, the plant of remembrance[2]," says Ophelia, the heroine of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
This verse recalls a truth confirmed by recent scientific research: for 3,000 years, the scent of rosemary has had a reputation for improving memory and intellectual performance.
In ancient Greece, students would weave wreaths of romarin before taking their exams.
In 2013, researchers at Northumbria University in England subjected around 60 people to various memory tests. The test subjects were divided into two groups:
- the first was exposed to rosemary essential oil via a diffuser before exercise;
- the second was not exposed.
Participants in the first group performed much better than those in the second. They were particularly good at remembering tasks they had to complete at specific times[3]. In other words, rosemary essential oil boosted their sharp memory. Ten years earlier, a study by the same team had already demonstrated the incredible memory benefits of rosemary essential oil, compared with lavender essential oil[4].
Rosemary's benefits for memory via the respiratory route are due to a particular component: 1,8-cineole.
1,8-cineole is a volatile molecule capable of entering the bloodstream via the lungs or intestines. Once in the bloodstream, it acts directly on the brain. In other words, when you "sniff" rosemary (personally, I love a good sniff when I come across it on a walk), you stimulate your brain, and particularly your memory!
3. Rosemary protects the brain from senile dementia
Rosemary significantly slows the decline in brain capacity, as documented several times in the scientific literature.
I'll just mention one study, from 2012, carried out on people aged 75 on average, who were given either rosemary or a placebo. The results are not surprising: people performed better on cognitive tests after taking rosemary. And the greater the amount of rosemary consumed, the better the results[5].
4. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory and painkiller
Rosemary acts as a natural analgesic and calms inflammation[6].
Rosemary extract is said to be particularly effective in calming neuropathic pain (caused by the nervous system) and neurological inflammation... Which once again brings us back to its protective aspect against neurodegenerative diseases, and Alzheimer's in particular.
5. Rosemary: a remarkably effective weapon against cancer.
This is another well-documented benefit. Rosemary, say researchers:
- reduces the risk of breast cancer, and slows its progression if it occurs[7];
- reduces colorectal cancer progression[8];
- is particularly effective against leukemia when combined with vitamin D3[9].
Another analysis in the journal Nutrients found rosemary to be effective against lung, liver and pancreatic cancers[10].
6. Fights diabetes and overweight
Rosemary is a friend to your metabolism: it lowers blood sugar levels and contributes to a healthy immune system. weight loss. More specifically, rosemary enables glucose to be used up and eliminated more quickly after consumption[11].
Another study has shown rosemary extract to be as effective an anti-diabetic as metformin[12]!!!!
Marketed in France under the name glucophage, metformin has several "classic" side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc., but also more serious complications such as lactic acidosis.
Rosemary can be a good substitute.
7. Fights microbes and bacteria
In 2018, a major study confirmed rosemary's long-standing reputation as an antimicrobial[13].
Its antibacterial role makes it a weapon of choice in the face of declining antibiotic efficacy. In 2013, a research team successfully tested the eradicating power of the essential oil of romarin Escherichia coli, an antibiotic-resistant bacterium responsible for urinary tract and respiratory infections[14].
The authors conclude that rosemary essential oil should be used to prevent and treat nosocomial diseases!
8. Relieves osteoarthritis and joint pain
Rosemary's anti-inflammatory properties make it an effective remedy for relieving joint pain, especially that caused byarthrose.
In the case of joint pain (but also muscular pain), it is as a therapeutic massage oil that rosemary has proved particularly effective.
A 2017 study of 105 patients with severe osteoarthritis in the lower limbs showed that local application of rosemary essential oil significantly reduced pain[15]. You can therefore use any of the following locally against these pains:
- diluted essential oil of rosemary;
- a mother tincture of romarin diluted ;
- soak your aching limbs in an infusion of rosemary.
9. Good for digestive disorders
If you keep a little rosemary alone in your mouth, you'll soon notice its bitterness.
Well, that's good news for your digestion! Every bitter plant stimulates the secretion of digestive juices, making digestion more invigorating, stimulating the liver's production of bile, improving the evacuation of toxins and the excretion of thick bile by the gallbladder.
In short, it's an excellent detoxifier for your liver and gallbladder!
You can use it as a decoction to soothe the liver: either occasionally for stomach aches and digestive problems, or as a 2 to 3 week cure in spring, to deeply drain the liver.
Here's how:
- chop a few sprigs of rosemary verbenone ;
- cut a few pieces and put them in a saucepan, then add a liter of water and bring to the boil;
- boil for fifteen to twenty minutes;
- Allow to cool a little, then place the liquid in a separate container, to which you will add a little filtered water to bring it back up to one liter;
10. Clears the respiratory tract
Rosemary has also been used for a long time to clear the respiratory tract, and is particularly effective in spring: it acts as an antihistamine if you suffer from hay fever. Rosmarinic acid (also found in sage, mint and basil) inhibits the inflammation caused by allergic reactions.
Various studies have shown it to be effective in soothing allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis[16].
If you have sinus and/or bronchial congestion, you can use rosemary either as an infusion of fresh or dried plants, or as an inhalation.
To sum up
You can use rosemary in different ways, depending on the benefit you are looking for:
- in decoction, tisanefor digestive problems and to clear the respiratory tract (occasionally);
- en essential oilUse it either topically for joint or muscle pain, or with an essential oil diffuser for memory and cognitive faculties;
- in the kitchen, to accompany your meats (lamb and chicken) to limit the dangers of overcooking, but not only: in risotto or as an ingredient in jamwith the added benefit of regulating your metabolism.
Apart from the 2 to 3 week course of treatment I mentioned for the liver, you can use it in small doses, as an infusion, in the morning, to "clear" your mind.
Contraindications: if you suffer from kidney stones, or if you're pregnant or breast-feeding, limit rosemary consumption to cooking.
Sources :
[1] Guerrero et al., « Effect of Edible and Active Coating (with Rosemary and Oregano Essential Oils) on Beef Characteristics and Consumer Acceptability », PLOS one, août 2016, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4978481/
[2] « – There’s Rosemary, that’s for remembrance », Hamlet, William Shakespeare
[3] « Rosemary aroma may help you remember to do things », ScienceDaily, https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/04/130409091104.htm
[4] Moss (M.), Cook (J.), Wesnes (K), Duckett (P.), « Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults », janvier 2003, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12690999
[5] Snow (J.) et al., Short-Term Study on the Effects of Rosemary on Cognitive Function in an Elderly Population, 4 janvier 2012, https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2011.0005
[6] Ghasemzadeh Rahbardar (M.), Amin (B.), Mehri (S.), Mirnajafi-Zadeh (SJ.), Hosseinzadeh (H.), « Anti-inflammatory effects of ethanolic extract of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and rosmarinic acid in a rat model of neuropathic pain », février 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28012923
[7] Telang (N.), « Anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects of rosemary and constituent terpenoids in a model for the HER-2-enriched molecular subtype of clinical breast cancer », octobre 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30214619
[8] Valdés (A.) et al., « Shotgun proteomic analysis to study the decrease of xenograft tumor growth after rosemaryextract treatment », mai 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28389096
[9] Sharabani (H.) et al., « Cooperative antitumor effects of vitamin D3 derivatives and rosemary preparations in a mouse model of myeloid leukemia », juin 2006, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16395705
[10] Moore( J.), Yousef (M.) et Tsiani (E.), « Anticancer Effects of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) Extract and Rosemary Extract Polyphenols », https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5133115/
[11] Harachi (T.), « Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) leaf extract limits weight gain and liver steatosis in mice fed a high-fat diet », Planta Medica. 2010.
[12] Bouchentouf (S.), Allali (H.), Ghalem (S.), « First study on anti-diabetic effect of rosemary and salvia by using molecular docking », https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/efad/198cb51c29652a1b2daee1a0c9bf462e47f7.pdf
[13] Nieto (G.), Ros (G.) et Castillo (J.), « Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Properties of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis, L.): A Review », septembre 2018, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6165352/
[14] Sienkiewicz (M.), Łysakowska (M.), Pastuszka (M.), Bienias (W.), Kowalczyk (E.), « The potential of use basil and rosemary essential oils as effective antibacterial agents. Molecules », 2013 Aug 5;18(8):9334-51.
[15] Keshavarzian (S.) et Shahgholian (N.), « Comparison of the Effect of Topical Application of Rosemary and Menthol for Musculoskeletal Pain in Hemodialysis Patients », novembre-décembre 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5684790/
[16] Osakabe (N.), Takano (H.), Sanbongi (C.), et al. « Anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect of rosmarinic acid (RA); inhibition of seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis (SAR) and its mechanism », Biofactors, 2004;21(1-4):127-31.