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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2005 Rosemary Rosmarinus officinalis
Continuing the series on 'Let your food be your medicine.....'
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‘There's Rosemary for you and that's for remembrance! Pray you, love, remember.' Hamlet (Ophelia).
The Old Ways
Such was the folklore surrounding Rosemary that it was said to be the herb of lovers, of fidelity, of remembrance, of strong men and strong women, used at weddings, at funerals, at religious ceremonies, to preserve and purify, as well as protection from disease and malevolent forces. In short, for all things relating to heart and head!
It is native to the countries of the Mediterranean.
As I write this in February (late summer), I am about to trim my hillside of Rosemary and dry it, filling the house with its aromatic oils. An old French name for it was 'Incensier'.
If we knew nothing of all this what would the plant tell us?
The pungent aroma is quite savoury, certainly a powerful scent. It is quite complex smelling both of camphor, pine and a touch of menthol. Inhaling these volatile oils makes me feel quite heady and even hot. The blue/white flowers are associated with the head and nervous system (in an old Hindu text) so it is not surprising that it has the reputation it has. It is bitter and would therefore affect digestion.
The New Ways
Rosemary is listed in many Materia Medica's and herbals but surprisingly it is not used therapeutically as much as it should be.
Often thought of as a culinary herb it is used in casseroles, soups, stews, on potatoes, in scones, breads and biscuits and with roast meats.
Externally it can be made into a massage oil for relaxing muscles, in hair rinses (for darker hair), in some toilet waters and perfumes.
More recently its essential aromatic oils have stimulated much interest as anti-oxidants (see below) and Rosmarinic acid has been found to have anti-inflammatory properties inhibiting inflammatory chemicals produced in the Arachidonic acid pathway. A flavonoid, Diosmin, is stated to be a better tonic for capillaries than rutin. Rosmarinic acid is said to be around 4 times more active as an anti-oxidant than Pycnogenol which is about 100 times more active than Vit C and E.
Therapeutically, it can be both physically relaxing and mentally stimulating when added to a bath. Taken as a medicine the extract is a circulatory stimulant and tonic to both the heart and blood vessels, will reduce lung congestion, aid digestion, reducing flatulence, and improving memory, concentration and brain function generally.
James Duke in 'Anti-ageing Prescriptions' says the rosmarinic acid can be used to treat underactive thyroid and that the oleanolic and ursolic acids in Rosemary are not only Cox 2 inhibitors but are useful in the prevention of Alzeimers.
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What Plant?
Easily recognized by its long, narrow and leathery leaves that are dark green on top and whitish underneath. The stems are brittle and it grows to a height of 1.5 to 2 metres. The small hooded and lipped blue flowers are similar to others in the Lamiaceae family (sages, thymes and mints) and when viewed under a microscope they glisten with moisture and are white at the base. A whitish down covers the underside of the leaves as well as the sepals at the base of the flower.
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What Part?
The leaves over the whole plant can be used but the flowering tops are selected for the highest concentration of oils especially concentrated in the flower calyx.
How and When to use?
It can be used as
· an oil for cooking or massage or baths
· a vinegar for dressings, pickles or anti-oxidant activity
· a powder dried and ground for flavour and anti-oxidant activity and used like salt
· a tea or infusion for taste or medicine
· an antiseptic water
· a honey
· a tincture for medicine
Using the oil
The oil in a bath is for the person with stiff and sore joints and muscles, best used in the morning as it can be too mentally stimulating at night.
Using the vinegar
It can be used medicinally as for the tincture. For its anti-oxidant effect, use it in place of vinegar or lemon juice eg Mustard salad dressing (see preparations).
Using a tea, vinegar, infusion or tincture medicinally
For the person who
· has bloating after eating
· sees the world a little darker than usual
· wants to improve concentration and memory
· who is studying (Always have some Rosemary near you as you learn, then take some with you into your exam and your memory will be triggered.)
· needs a nerve tonic. It is thought that it is beneficial to the nerves by increasing the circulation.
· has an inflammatory condition
How To Prepare
The oil…
Choose a light extra-virgin olive oil. Strip the leaves off the stems of Rosemary and some of the less brittle flowering tops. Finely chop the plant and place in a screw top glass jar with a plastic lid. Cover the plant material with the oil making sure a layer of oil covers the plant.
Place in a dark warm place.
Strain after 10 days to 6 weeks.
The vinegar…
Made exactly the same as the oil but strain after 10 days and infuse in a cool place.
The powder….
Dry the leaves and powder in a coffee grinder. I like to add both thyme and sage to this potent anti-oxidant mix.
The tea or infusion…
As a drink, add a teaspoon of chopped herb to a cup of boiling water – infuse 5-10 mins covered, strain.
For a medicinal drink often called an infusion, 1-2 tbsp of chopped herb is added to a cup and infused 5-10 mins, covered.
Strain both for drinking.
The most famous of waters was ‘The Queen of Hungary's water' made by steeping Rosemary in brandy for 3 or 4 days and then distilling it. An antiseptic water is really just a very strong infusion using double or triple the amount of herb.
The honey….
Cover the finely chopped herb with a good quality honey and leave aside, for several hours, stirring often.
The tincture….
Cover 100g of finely chopped herb and flowering tips with 500ml of Vodka (the highest percentage alcohol you can find) and leave to sit for 4-6 weeks. Strain.
The Essential oil….
This can be distilled and on standing for some time, the oil deposits crystals of stearopten (rosemary camphor).
Hair Lotion
Spiritus Rosmarini, B.P.—SPIRIT OF ROSEMARY.
Oil of rosemary, to; alcohol, sufficient to produce 100. This preparation is five times the strength of Spiritus Rosmarini, B.P., 1885. Spirit of rosemary is used chiefly as a perfume for hair lotions.
How Much To Use?
In a bath…
Use ¼ cup of oil
As a vinegar…
1- 3 dsp daily for an adult.
As a powder….
Use according to taste but 1 teaspoon is a good guide.
As a tea or infusion for taste or medicine
1 cup for taste and up to 3 cups daily as medicine.
As a honey…
1 tsp several times daily.
As a tincture for medicine…
3 mls twice daily in water before food.
Safety
The essential oil should not be used internally nor should it be applied directly to the skin.
Therapeutic doses should not be used during pregnancy.
Recent Research Reviews
The recent research covers a range of actions from Rosemary's ability to reduce the oxidative process in oils to prevention of malignant tumours and breast cancer. The latter are mostly in mice so I have not detailed them here. There is much work to be done on Rosemary's effect in humans but because it is such a common plant this would be on isolated constituents and not the whole plant.
Some of the recent interesting research papers are summarized here.
Rosemary as an Anti-oxidant…
‘…carnosol, rosmanol, and epirosmanol showed the
activity in inhibiting LDL (Low density lipoprotein) oxidation'. 1 (It is considered that this would reduce atherogenesis.)
In combination….
‘We conclude that lycopene acts synergistically, as an effective antioxidant against LDL oxidation, with several natural antioxidants such as vitamin E, the flavonoid glabridin, the phenolics rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid, and garlic. These observations suggest a superior antiatherogenic characteristic to a combination of different natural antioxidants over that of an individual one. 2
As a stabilizer
The effect of Mediterranean food spices on the oxidative stability of refined olive oil was compared with common food additives during storage at room temperature. The results showed that the that rosemary and oregano are more effective HOCl scavengers than the other substances analyzed.3
Rosemary as a memory and mood elevator….
The results of this study indicated that the olfactory properties of these essential oils can produce objective effects on cognitive performance, as well as subjective effects on mood. 4
Not for those who are anaemic….
Green tea or rosemary extract added to foods reduces nonheme-iron
absorption. 5
Reduces multi-drug resistance by cells.
‘In the present study we demonstrate that an extract of the common dietary herb rosemary increases the intracellular accumulation of commonly used chemotherapeutic agents, including doxorubicin (DOX) and vinblastine (VIN), in drug-resistant MCF-7 human breast cancer cells. 6
On the Pharmacology of Rosemary
General
‘Extract of rosemary relaxes smooth muscles of trachea and intestine, and has choleretic, hepatoprotective and antitumerogenic activity. The most important constituents of rosemary are caffeic acid and its derivatives such as rosmarinic acid. These compounds have antioxidant effect.
Rosmarinic acid is well absorbed from gastrointestinal tract and from the skin. It increases the production of prostaglandin E2 and reduces the production of leukotriene B4 in human polymorphonuclear leucocytes, and inhibits the complement system. It is concluded that rosemary and its constituents especially caffeic acid derivatives such as rosmarinic acid have a therapeutic potential in treatment or prevention of bronchial asthma, spasmogenic disorders, peptic ulcer, inflammatory diseases, hepatotoxicity, atherosclerosis, ischaemic heart disease, cataract, cancer and poor sperm motility. 7
Flavonoid content
The distribution of seven flavonoids, eriocitrin, luteolin 3'-O-beta-dglucuronide, hesperidin, diosmin, isoscutellarein 7-O-glucoside, hispidulin 7- O-glucoside, and genkwanin, has been studied in Rosmarinus officinalis leaves, flowers, stems, and roots during plant growth. 8
…and Vitamin E content
A simple HPLC method for vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) measurement in the leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis has been developed and validated. 9
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References
1. Zeng HH, Tu PF, Zhou K, Wang H, Wang BH, Lu JF.
Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2001 Dec;22(12):1094-8.
2. Fuhrman B, Volkova N, Rosenblat M, Aviram M.
Antioxid Redox Signal. 2000 Fall;2(3):491-506.
3. Martinez-Tome M, Jimenez AM, Ruggieri S, Frega N, Strabbioli R,
Murcia MA. J Food Prot. 2001 Sep;64(9):1412-9.M
4. Moss M, Cook J, Wesnes K, Duckett P. Int J Neurosci. 2003 Jan;113(1):15-38.
5 Samman S, Sandstrom B, Toft MB, Bukhave K, Jensen M, Sorensen SS,
Hansen M. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Mar;73(3):607-12.
6. Plouzek CA, Ciolino HP, Clarke R, Yeh GC.Eur J Cancer. 1999 Oct;35(10):1541-5.
7. Indian J Exp Biol. 1999 Feb;37(2):124-30. al-Sereiti MR, Abu-Amer KM, Sen P.
8. del Bano MJ, Lorente J, Castillo J, Benavente-Garcia O, Marin MP, Del
Rio JA, Ortuno A, Ibarra I. J Agric Food Chem. 2004 Aug 11;52(16):4987-92.
9. Torre J, Lorenzo MP, Martinez-Alcazar MP, Barbas C.J Chromatogr A. 2001 Jun 15;919(2):305-11.
Other References
1. Mills S. Bone K. The Principles and Practice of Phytotherapy. Churchill Livingston 2000.
King's American Dispensatory.by Harvey Wickes Felter, M.D., and John Uri Lloyd, Phr. M., Ph. D., 1898.
The British Pharmaceutical Codex. Published by direction of the Council of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, 1911.
Chevalier, Andrew Encylopedia of Medicinal Plants D.K. Ltd. London, 2001.
Painter G. Power E. The Herb Garden Displayed. Hodder and Stoughton, 1978.
Evans Sue Notes on Materia Medica 1997.
Bone Kerry, The Clinical Role of Plant Anti-oxidants MediHerb Phytotherapy International Conference of Plant medicine.
Buist R. Phytochemicals or Micronutrients. NHAA International Conference, 1995.
Grieve M. A Modern Herbal .Peregrine Books 1976.
Fisher C, Painter G. Materia Medica for the Southern Hemishere. C Fisher/G Painter 1996.
Reflections
We hear a lot about the health benefits of the Mediterranean
Diet, the garlic, the red wine, the olive oil and I would add to that the abundant use of herbs (particularly Rosemary, Sage and Thyme). Included in their cooking, these would mpart a health promoting anti-oxidant effect.
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