CHAPTER 23: Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis syn, Salvia rosmarinus)
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Published:30 Jul 2021
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Special Collection: 2021 ebook collection
Culinary Herbs and Spices: A Global Guide, The Royal Society of Chemistry, 2021, pp. 422-438.
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Rosemary a common household plant, with leaves used for culinary, medicinal, cosmetic and ornamental purposes. Rosemary possesses a distinctive pine-woody camphoraceous aroma; it has deodorising, odour masking and pungent properties. Rosemary has a long history of folk use and its extract is utilised in the modern food industry as a natural antioxidant to improve the shelf life of perishable foods. Much has been written about the purported health benefits and therapeutic potential of rosemary primarily on its own but also when in combination with other herbs and spices. This herb, both extracts and its essential oil, is known to have a range of bioactive properties that are of protective and/or therapeutic potential. These include its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, glucose lowering, anti-diabetic, lipid lowering, chemopreventive/anti-cancer, antinociceptive/analgesic, anxiolytic and also anti-microbial properties. However, there is also evidence that rosemary increases blood pressure.