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Herb library · Spice · Rosmarinus officinalis

Rosemary

A Mediterranean kitchen herb. Europe's medicines agency accepts rosemary leaf tea for mild indigestion, and rosemary leaf or oil in baths and rubs for minor muscle and joint pain, on the strength of long use. Small trials have tested rosemary oil for hair loss and rosemary capsules for memory.

Traditional use

Rosemary has long been a medicine and a household herb in Europe; Culpeper's herbal (here in its 1814 printing) says few herbs were of greater use. It reached China from the Roman world by the fifth century and was valued there as a perfume. In Europe today rosemary leaf is sold as an herbal tea and bath additive, and rosemary oil in ointments; rosemary oil has also been tested on the scalp for hair loss.

Traditional energetics

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Indigestion, cramping, minor muscle and joint pain, and minor circulation problems: EMA accepts rosemary medicines for these on the basis of long-standing use, and says there is insufficient evidence from clinical trials.

  • Limited

    Hair loss (androgenetic alopecia): in one 2015 trial, 100 people used rosemary oil or 2% minoxidil for 6 months; hair counts rose similarly in both groups, and the scalp itched less with rosemary. Reviews of herbal hair-loss remedies call the studies small and short, and say larger trials are needed.

  • Limited

    Memory, anxiety and sleep: one 2018 trial in 68 university students found better memory, anxiety and sleep scores after a month of rosemary capsules (500 mg twice a day) than with placebo. It is a single small study.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • AllergyAllergic skin reactions (contact dermatitis) can occur with rosemary leaf and oil, and asthma has been reported with rosemary oil. Do not use it if you are allergic to rosemary.
  • ConditionEMA says rosemary leaf taken by mouth is not for people with a blocked bile duct, gallbladder inflammation, gallstones or liver disease, and not for children under 12. Rosemary oil is not recommended under 18.
  • NoteDo not apply rosemary preparations to broken or irritated skin. Keep rosemary oil away from the eyes and mucous membranes. Use a full hot bath with caution if you have high blood pressure.
  • AmountThese cautions are for rosemary medicines and oil. EMA's summary says food products are excluded from its assessment.
  • InteractionEMA found no drug interactions described in the literature for rosemary leaf or oil.
  • PregnancyEMA says safety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established and does not recommend rosemary medicines then.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“It is an herb of as great use with us in these days as any whatsoever, not only for physical but civil purposes.”
Nicholas Culpeper, Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), p. 155. See the page of Culpeper's Complete Herbal, p. 155 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Culpeper's Complete Herbal, p. 155
“This was brought from the bounds of the Roman Empire during the reign of Wenti of the Wei dynasty (452 A. D.). It was valued for its delightful fragrance.”
G. A. Stuart, Chinese Materia Medica: Vegetable Kingdom (1911), p. 381. See the page of Chinese Materia Medica: Vegetable Kingdom, p. 381 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Chinese Materia Medica: Vegetable Kingdom, p. 381

Sources

  1. Rosmarini folium - herbal medicinal product (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  2. Rosemary leaf: Assessment Report Summary for the Public (EMA/HMPC/387754/2025) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  3. European Union herbal monograph on Rosmarinus officinalis L., folium (EMA/HMPC/513940/2021) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  4. European Union herbal monograph on Rosmarinus officinalis L., aetheroleum (EMA/HMPC/513893/2021) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
  5. Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial (Skinmed, 2015) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  6. Herbal remedies for hair loss: a review of efficacy and safety (Skin Appendage Disord, 2025) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  7. Effects of Rosmarinus officinalis L. on memory performance, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in university students: a randomized clinical trial (Complement Ther Clin Pract, 2018) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.