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Rosemary
CautionRosmarin · (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Mint family (Lamiaceae)
Description
Narrow, needle-like leaves and an intensely resinous scent mark out this evergreen Mediterranean subshrub of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Harvested before flowering, the leaves yield an essential oil containing 1,8-cineole, camphor and verbenone, along with rosmarinic acid and the diterpenes carnosol and carnosolic acid. The EMA monograph classifies use as a tea for mild digestive complaints and as a bath additive for muscle and joint pain as 'well-established use'; the essential oil is also applied for respiratory cold symptoms. In folk tradition, rosemary tea is additionally considered to stimulate circulation. Because rosemary is traditionally regarded as labour-stimulating, therapeutic doses should be avoided during pregnancy, while culinary amounts are safe. Undiluted essential oil should not be applied near the face of children under four years.
Well-established traditional use for mild dyspeptic complaints such as bloating, flatulence and upper-abdominal cramps. EMA HMPC and German Commission E list rosemary leaf with a positive assessment for internal use in digestive disorders.
Preparation & dosage
Pour 150 ml boiling water over 1-2 g of finely cut rosemary leaves, cover and infuse for 10 minutes, then strain. Drink a freshly prepared cup three to four times daily between meals.
- Dry amount
- 1–2 g
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 4 weeks
Folk-medicinal use as a circulation-stimulating morning tea for hypotensive symptoms such as morning fatigue, weak circulation and low blood pressure. Rosemary oil constituents are mildly stimulating.
Preparation & dosage
Drink one cup of rosemary leaf infusion (1-2 g per 150 ml) in the morning and at midday. Avoid in the evening due to mild stimulating effect.
- Dry amount
- 1–2 g
- Doses per day
- 2×
EMA HMPC and Commission E recognise rosemary leaf and rosemary-oil preparations as bath additive for supportive treatment of rheumatic complaints and weak circulation/exhaustion. Skin circulation is stimulated and overall circulation invigorated.
Preparation & dosage
Pour 1 L hot water over 50-100 g dried rosemary leaves, infuse for 30 minutes, strain and add to a full bath (about 35-38 °C, 10-20 minutes). Alternatively 10-50 g rosemary oil as bath additive. Avoid evening baths — stimulating.
- Dry amount
- 50–100 g
- Doses per day
- 1×
Inhalation of rosemary essential oil for catarrhs of the upper respiratory tract. EMA HMPC Rosmarini aetheroleum cites 1,8-cineole- and camphor-rich chemotypes as mucolytic and mucous-membrane active.
Preparation & dosage
Add 2-3 drops of rosemary oil to a bowl with 500 ml hot (not boiling) water, cover head with a towel, close eyes and inhale steam for 5-10 minutes. Do not use in asthma or children under 4 years.
- Liquid amount
- 0.1–0.3 ml
- Doses per day
- 2×
⚠ Age restriction: ≥ 4 years — Not for children under 4 years due to 1,8-cineole and camphor content — risk of laryngospasm with application near the face.
Classical Mediterranean culinary herb for lamb, chicken, potatoes and marinades. Essential oils are appetite- and digestion-stimulating; the diterpenes (carnosol, carnosolic acid) act as antioxidants in cooked meat.
Preparation & dosage
Folk-medicinal use as a warming compress for rheumatic pain, muscle tension, bruises and slow-healing skin areas. Essential oils are hyperaemic (circulation-promoting).
Preparation & dosage
Traditional use as digestive and circulation-stimulating tincture for nervous stomach upset, bloating and low blood pressure. Ethanolic extracts preserve essential oil and rosmarinic acid well.
Preparation & dosage
1:5 tincture in 70 % ethanol from dried rosemary leaves. Usual daily dose: 20-40 drops (1-2 ml) three times daily in a little water before meals. Avoid in the evening — stimulating.
- Liquid amount
- 1–2 ml
- Doses per day
- 3×
- Max duration
- 4 weeks
Avoid therapeutic doses during pregnancy (folk belief as labour stimulant; no modern indication). Use camphor-rich preparations cautiously in hypertension and epilepsy. Do not apply essential oil undiluted to the skin or near the face in children under 4 years — risk of laryngospasm. ASPCA classification (accessed 2026-08-10): non-toxic to dogs and cats.
⏱ Max continuous use: 4 weeks
Culinary amounts are safe. Avoid therapeutic doses (tea, tincture, essential oil) during pregnancy — rosemary is traditionally considered emmenagogue and labour-stimulating; insufficient safety data.
Culinary amounts are safe during breastfeeding. Use therapeutic doses sparingly due to insufficient data.
Rosemary essential oil must not be applied near the face in children under 4 years due to 1,8-cineole and camphor content (risk of laryngospasm). Internal tea use in moderate amounts is safe from school age.
Drug interactions
Antikoagulanzien / Thrombozytenaggregationshemmer
Rosemary contains coumarins and may theoretically potentiate the anticoagulant effect of warfarin and similar drugs; additional possible CYP modulation.
Antidiabetika
Rosemary extracts may slightly lower blood sugar; monitor blood-glucose values closely when taken alongside antidiabetic medication.
Antikonvulsiva / Antiepileptika
Camphor-rich rosemary oils and high-dose preparations may in isolated cases lower the seizure threshold and should be avoided in epilepsy and during concomitant antiepileptic therapy.
Contraindications
- Known hypersensitivity to rosemary or other Lamiaceae.
- Camphor-rich rosemary essential oils: application near the face of infants and children under 4 years (risk of laryngospasm).
- Severe hypertension and epilepsy — caution with high-dose or camphor-rich preparations.
Harvested part: leaves (before flowering)
- Time of day:
- Late morning in dry weather once the dew has evaporated — essential-oil content is then highest.
- Drying:
- Dry sprigs in small bundles upside down in a warm, airy, shaded place (max 35 °C). Strip needles from stems after drying.
- Storage:
- 12 months — Store in dark, tightly closed glass or tin containers, cool and dry. Essential oil evaporates with light and air.
- Time of day:
- During flowering (May to July) on sunny mornings late in the morning — cut flowers and young shoots together.
- Drying:
- Lay flowering sprigs loosely or hang in bundles, dry in a shaded airy spot.
- Storage:
- 9 months — Store separately from pure leaf batches — flowering material is less aromatic and should be used within 9 months.
- Ätherisches Öl (1,8-Cineol, Campher, alpha-Pinen, Verbenon, Borneol)Essential oilContent: 1-2.5 %Leaf
Main chemotypes differ by leading component: 1,8-cineole type (mucolytic), camphor type (circulation-promoting, stimulating) and verbenone type (mild). Determines pharmacological action and limits of use.
- RosmarinsäurePhenolic acidContent: 1-5 %Leaf
Leading marker substance of Lamiaceae; strongly antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral. Water-soluble, therefore well extracted in tea.
- Carnosol und CarnosolsäureOtherContent: 1.5-4.6 %Leaf
Phenolic diterpenes with marked antioxidant activity; responsible for the preservative effect of rosemary extracts in foods (E392).
- Flavonoide (Apigenin, Luteolin, Nepetin, Diosmetin)FlavonoidContent: 0.5-1 %Leaf
Flavones and flavone glycosides with antioxidant, mildly spasmolytic and vasoprotective properties.
- Triterpensäuren (Ursolsäure, Oleanolsäure)OtherContent: 2-4 %Leaf
Pentacyclic triterpenes with anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective effects; contribute to the action of external preparations (baths, compresses).
- Gerbstoffe (Lamiaceen-Gerbstoffe)TanninContent: ca. 8 %Leaf
Astringent tannins of the Lamiaceae group; contribute to the local effect in mucous-membrane and skin applications.
- Bitterstoffe (diterpenoide Bitterstoffe)BitterContent: SpurenanteileLeaf
Bitter diterpenes contribute to the appetite- and bile-flow-stimulating effect (aromatic bitter).
- [1]MonographEMA HMPC — Community herbal monograph on Rosmarinus officinalis L., folium(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [2]MonographEMA HMPC — Community herbal monograph on Rosmarinus officinalis L., aetheroleum(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [3]MonographKommission E — Rosmarini folium (Bundesanzeiger Nr. 223, 30.11.1985)(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [4]MonographESCOP Monograph — Rosmarini folium(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [6]MonographPlants For A Future — Rosmarinus officinalis(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [7]MonographHeilkräuter-Lexikon — Rosmarin(accessed: 2026-05-19)
- [8]MonographASPCA Animal Poison Control — Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats, Non-Toxic to Horses(accessed: 2026-08-10)
- [5]BookMadaus, Gerhard: Lehrbuch der biologischen Heilmittel, Bd. III — Rosmarinus officinalis (1938, PD)(accessed: 2026-05-19)
Distribution in Europe
🪴 Grow at home
- ☀ Light
- full sun
- 💧 Water
- weekly
- 🌱 Soil
- Sandy-loamy with good drainage
- 🪴 Pot
- 22 cm
- ⭐ Difficulty
- ★★☆ intermediate
- 🐾 Pets
- non-toxic — verified against the ASPCA list
Tips:
- Winter: bright and cool (5-10 °C) — no heated room.
- Water sparingly — root rot is the most common killer.
- Below -10 °C bring indoors, not hardy in our climate.
Care tips are general indoor-gardening recommendations, not scientific sources.
🤝 Permaculture Partners
In your garden, this plant acts as:
✨ Best symbiotic partners
- 🌿 Carrot Rosemary scent masks carrots from carrot fly.
- 🌿 Laurus nobilis Classic companion-planting partner.
- 🌿 Lavandula angustifolia Mediterranean dry specialists — lavender draws bees, rosemary protects.
- 🌿 Salvia officinalis Mediterranean dry alliance — same needs.
- 🌿 Thymus vulgaris Both Mediterranean and drought-tolerant — perfect herb pairing.
- 🌿 Tropaeolum majus Classic companion-planting partner.
⚠️ Better not planted together
- 🥬 Basil Rosemary likes dry, basil likes moist — water conflict.
📦 Part of these planting sets:
Source: Helga und Margarete Langerhorst, Mein gesunder Naturgarten (eigene Kuration)