Rosemary

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Mood and sleep in men³

  In men with low mood, rosemary extract improved mood, energy and daytime sleepiness scores.

• Open question

  Memory in older adults⁵

  In older people, a low dose of rosemary helped memory speed, but a high dose slowed it.

• Benefit

  Skin protection from sun⁶

  In people, taking rosemary with citrus flavonoids by mouth helped skin resist sun redness after eight to twelve weeks.

• Open question

  Immune system response⁷

  In people, a blend containing rosemary changed immune cell activity and antioxidant enzymes within hours.

• Benefit

  Heart and blood health⁸

  Eating meat with rosemary extract and omega-3s improved blood markers linked to heart risk in people.

• Concern

  Iron absorption from food¹⁰

  In women, rosemary extract added to a meal lowered how much iron the body took in from that food.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Fat and sugar digestion¹³

  In lab studies, rosemary slowed the enzymes that break down fat and sugar.

• Benefit

  Gut inflammation in mice¹⁴

  In animal studies, rosemary extract improved gut inflammation and the gut's barrier lining in mice.

• Benefit

  High-fat diet compounds¹⁵

  In animal studies, rosemary extract reduced the buildup of certain compounds in mice fed a high-fat diet.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Brain health and memory¹²

  Scientists do not yet know whether eating rosemary helps protect the brain from Alzheimer's disease.

How it’s made and used

• How much children eat²

  Scientists worked out how much rosemary extract children likely eat from food, and say the real amount is probably lower.

• Pork sausage freshness⁴

  Rosemary extract helped fresh pork sausage stay fresher longer and taste better to shoppers in the study.

• Coating flavor preference⁹

  Rosemary oil in an edible coating on beef was less liked by consumers than oregano oil.

• Food spoilage and shelf life¹¹

  Rosemary extracts and oils may slow fats going off in meat, oils and dressings.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.