You’ve likely used rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) in your own kitchen (or tasted it in a restaurant meal if you don’t cook). After all it is one of the most commonly used herbs worldwide for cooking. But did you know that rosemary essential oil is considered one of the most powerful essential oils in the world with a multitude of health-promoting benefits? Rosemary has shown to be hepatoprotective (protective to the liver), and to have anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anticancer properties.
The name rosemary comes from the Latin words “Ros” meaning dew or mist, and “marinus” meaning sea. Wild rosemary often grows on the sea cliffs in Spain, France, Greece, and Italy. Together with lavender, basil, oregano, and a few other herbs, it is part of the mint family. While you may have a small pot of rosemary on your windowsill, it is a perennial bush that outside can grow to be five feet high. Rosemary grows best in temperate climates where the temperature doesn’t dip below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-17 degrees Celsius).
Rosemary Has Been Valued Through the Ages
Long considered to be advantageous for memory improvement, ancient Greek students wore garlands of rosemary on their heads when studying. The Greeks and Romans used rosemary as a part of almost all festivals and feasts − it was a reminder of the cycle of life and death.
Charlemagne, who ruled a wide area of Western Europe from 768-814, thought so highly of rosemary that he ordered it to be grown on his farms.
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), German abbess, musician, herbalist, and healer (among other accomplishments) wrote several medical texts describing the action of various herbs. Rosemary is amongst those she studied and wrote about.
Rosemary was used in traditional Turkish folk medicine to treat hyperglycemia and indeed, modern research is finding that it may have applications for diabetes.
During the time when the Black Death (bubonic plague) raged in the mid-1300s, branches of rosemary were scattered on the floors and doorways of homes to help ward off the disease. Rosemary was also part of something called “Marseilles Vinegar” or “Four Thieves Vinegar.” This was used by thieves and grave robbers to protect themselves against the plague as they went about the grisly but lucrative business of robbing the dead.
Rosemary was often used as a disinfectant to kill germs in the 16th century, although people of that time didn’t understand the concept of germs. They just knew that if rosemary was burned in the sickroom or applied as a balm or an oil to a sick person, they tended to get better quickly. Paracelsus, a notable physician, philosopher, and herbalist in the 16th century, considered rosemary an essential component in his medicines.
Have you ever been to a funeral and someone handed you a sprig of rosemary to wear? This is a long-held tradition which is meant to indicate that the loved one who has passed will not be forgotten. It dates back to ancient Roman and Greek times when rosemary was tossed into the grave as a sign of remembrance.
Disease-Fighting Phytochemicals in Rosemary Essential Oil
Rosemary essential oil contains some very potent phytochemicals (natural, plant based chemicals) which are steam distilled from the needle-like leaves of the plant. It takes 100 pounds (45.3 kg) of rosemary to yield one pound (453 grams) of essential oil.
Somewhere between 400-500 phytochemicals have been found in rosemary essential oil, making it an exceptional source of different bioactive compounds. The major constituents are 1,8-Cineole, camphor, alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, camphene, borneol, betulinic acid, limonene, carnosic acid, carnosol, rosmanol, and rosmarinic acid. While these names might not sound like much, each one translates into potential benefits for your health.
The 6 Best Health Uses for Rosemary Essential Oil (including Fighting Cancer!)
Modern research is discovering that rosemary has some very important applications for our health. Here is a rundown on six of its most impressive uses and benefits:
1. Decreases Cortisol Levels. A small 2007 study published in Psychiatry Research by Japanese researchers found that five minutes of breathing in rosemary and lavender helped to decrease salivary cortisol levels in 22 healthy volunteers. Cortisol, released in response to stress by the adrenal glands, is sometimes referred to as the “stress hormone.” These same researchers also observed that the antioxidants in both rosemary and lavender essential oils enhanced the body’s free radical scavenging ability.
2. Inhibits Deadly Bacteria. Rosemary has long been used to improve skin by fighting bacteria and by cell renewal. A 2016 study done by Egyptian researchers appearing in Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology found that rosemary essential oil was able to significantly inhibit Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This is a gram-negative, multi-drug resistant pathogen associated with serious illnesses like ventilator-associated pneumonia and other sepsis conditions. Also, a 2015 study done by Brazilian researchers, released in Frontiers in Microbiolog found that both rosemary and oregano essential oils had strong antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. This is another deadly bacterium, better known as golden staph, also considered to be multi-drug resistant.
A study reported in 2012 by Chinese researchers, published in the journal Molecules, looked at the antibacterial activity of rosemary essential oil. They examined the main constituents of the oil − 1,8-cineole, alpha-pinene and beta-pinene − and compared the antibacterial activity of each constituent to the action of rosemary as a whole. They found that the whole essential oil was more powerful than the constituents on their own (no surprise really!).
3. Reduces Inflammation. A 2000 Brazilian study found that 1,8-Cineole has anti-inflammatory and anti-nociceptive (this means it reduces sensitivity to painful stimuli) properties. A 2008 animal study by Slovakian researchers reported in Acta Veterinaria Brno also found that rosemary essential oil has anti-inflammatory benefits. Further, a 2011 Iranian animal study found that rosemary essential oil has anti-inflammatory properties and could be considered a possible remedy for colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease.
4. Fights Cancer. Dozens of research studies have been done on rosemary for its various phytochemicals and applications for cancer. One American study in particular on carnosol, appearing in the June 2011 edition of Cancer Letters, stated that carnosol appeared to be well tolerated in animal studies and that it has selective toxicity toward cancer cells versus healthy cells.
- Liver Cancer: A 2014 study published in Interdisciplinary Toxicology by Slovakian researchers found that rosemary oil has anticancer activity in hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer), the fifth most common cancer in the world. In addition, joint Saudi and Egyptian research published in 2016 in Pharmaceutical Biology found that rosemary extract has protective effects against hepatotoxicity (toxic effects of chemical drugs on the liver) caused by cyclophosphamide, a commonly used chemotherapy drug.
- Colon Cancer: A 2015 Spanish study published in Food and Chemical Toxicology on rosemary leaf extract found that it has antiproliferative activity in human colon cancer cells. (This describes the ability of the compound to stop cancer cells from spreading.) A 2016 joint study by Spanish and Swedish researchers appearing in the June 2016 issue of Journal of Proteome Research also found rosemary extracts to have antiproliferative properties against human colon cancer cells.
- Breast Cancer: Joint American and Spanish research published in 2015 in the European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry found that carnosol (one of the phytochemicals in rosemary) has potent anticancer activity against triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is so named because cells of this type of breast cancer do not contain receptors for estrogen, progesterone, or the HER2 protein. Also, an American study released in 2012, appearing in the journal Fitoterapia, found that carnosic acid (another of the phytochemicals in rosemary) displayed significant inhibitory activity in several different ways against estrogen-receptor negative breast cancer cells. Interestingly, the researchers also mentioned a special synergy between rosemary and curcumin which is found in turmeric.
- Skin Cancer: Italian research published in 2015 in the Journal PLoS One found that rosemary had an anti-proliferative effect on human melanoma (malignant skin cancer) cells. Researchers said rosemary “drastically” reduced melanoma cell growth and metabolic activity.
- Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma: A 2014 Japanese study appearing in the journal Human Cell [20] found that carnosol (one of the phytochemicals in rosemary) induced apoptosis (planned cell death, a feature missing in cancer cells) in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma cells.
- Lung Cancer: An extract of rosemary was examined for its role in proliferation, survival, and apoptosis of human non-small cell lung cancer cells. Canadian researchers found rosemary to have “considerable anti-tumor and chemopreventive properties in lung cancer.” The study was reported in Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy in July 2016.
5. Aids Hair Regrowth. Rosemary has been used traditionally for combatting hair loss. Researchers, comparing it with minoxidil (a commonly used drug for combating hair loss) found rosemary essential oil to be just as good as minoxidil (after 6 months of use). The study was released in 2015 in the journal SkinMed.
6. Assists Brain Health. Rosemary has long been revered for its ability to help overcome mental fatigue, improving mental clarity and focus. Now, Japanese researchers have shown that rosemary can do more than that. The research, published in 2015 in Neuroscience Research stated that carnosic acid (one of rosemary’s phytochemicals) has neuroprotective functions in brain cells. They said carnosic acid “served as an activator for neuroprotective and neurotrophic functions in brain cells.” They also stated it may be helpful in the prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Guidelines for Safely Using Rosemary Essential Oil
It’s important to be aware that the quality of essential oils varies widely among manufacturers. Thus, it requires you to discover whether the supplier of the brand of essential oil you wish to use employs organic growing methods, knows how to properly distill the oils, and does not use toxic chemicals to create their oils. You can’t just read the labels and assume that “100 percent pure” means that the oil is medicinal grade. Make sure to ask questions. Buy your oils from a reputable source because otherwise they could be adulterated with toxic chemicals.
Rosemary essential oil may elevate blood pressure so it should be avoided if you have high blood pressure.
Do not apply essential oils inside ears, anywhere near the eyes, or other sensitive areas of the body.
If you have sensitive skin, dilute rosemary essential oil prior to application using an organic carrier oil such as almond, coconut, jojoba, olive, or hemp.
Be cautious when using essential oils with children and in pregnancy. Always heavily dilute essential oils for children and it’s best not to use them with children under age 5 without expert guidance. Some oils should be avoided during pregnancy and when breastfeeding. If you are unsure, please consult an experienced aromatherapist.
If you want the equivalent of a college level education on essential oils, get your copy of Essential Oils: Ancient Medicine by Dr. Josh Axe, Jordan Rubin, and Ty.
In this 500+ page full-color book, you’ll get expert tips and secrets to healing with this Biblical medicine. It also includes a step-by-step guide to using more than 50 top essential oils.
Editor’s Note: This article was initially published in November 2016 and has been updated in February 2021.
Thank you Ty, this was thought provoking, and much appreciated.
May I make a request? at the end of your article, would you give the journal/study citations for the study’s you quote in the article.
This would be helpful for those wanting to followup to learn more from the original source.
With respect and gratitude
DaleG
Hi Dale,
Please refer to the Sources and References tab underneath the article summary for more information.
I agee – it’s a great idea.
Awesome and most valuable information, so grateful for all your hard work and for sharing it. May God bless you Ty and all of your staff. Thank you.
What is your recommended method of use–diffuse, apply topically, ingest?
Help! My allergist did some testing on me and I found that I’m highly allergic to Carvone, a chemical compound of essential oils. It’s also found in dill, caraway seeds, air fresheners, lotions, soaps, spearmint and mandarin orange peel oil, rye bread, havarti cheese, Blistex, etc.
Do you know or know where I can find out if this finding applies to ALL essential oils or just certain ones? I just can’t believe it! Help!
Carvone is in toothpaste as well, sometimes via mint oils. The massive problem for this whole essential oil phenomenon, is the same as with olive oil for example. The profits from adulterated extra virgin olive oil were as high as for narcotics with virtually no penalties for the oil adulterators, unlike the narcotics dealers; so they made huge profits from lying to the public. The same goes for essential oils, the corruption of these oils is legendary, with all sorts of cheap synthetic components exchanged for the real thing.
The cosmetics and perfume industry is awash with cheap synthetic chemicals.
Unless you watch the distiller distilling the oils properly, then get gas chromatography and mass spectrometry readings of an oil, you will never know what you are ingesting or breathing in.
Sometimes it will be worse using adulterated oils than not using them. It is a minefield of chemistry, and taxonomy and the words pure and therapeutic are meaningless spin.
“Oil for Scorpio”! Good!
Do you recommend inhaling the oil for best effect ?
Excellent article on Rosemary. Thank you.
It would be a great benefit to your cause if the best “oil” companies referenced your work in their trainings or brochures in using oils.
Revive oils and Doterra are both 100% therapeutic oils .
Mr. Bollinger.I admire your work as much as your mission as a Christian and father and leader of your family. I only have a question for you: My sister in love has cancer to the liver and she is on the second treatment and it seems it is not working, could rosemary oil could helper? at least to slow it down?
This is wonderful info – thkn you! I would like to suggest to please give us the chance to collect this info by being able to print it out as well by supplying an print friendly version icon along with the share/fb/pin it icons???? It would be such a treat to collect them for future reference!
Hi MP,
Thanks for the suggestion. I will pass this onward.
Hi there! I know I’m probably not in the right area, but I’ve tried several and can’t get through so…rosemary is good for diabetics. My 7 year old son has type 1 diabetes. He keeps praying for a miracle. What is the best research for helping him with less insulin. His diabetes doctor keeps telling us to give him more insulin, but I honestly feel like I’m poisoning him:( he’s just finished what they call the honeymoon phase. I’ve been doing plenty of research…are we dealing with a combination of parasites, weak immune system and consequences of immunizations? What can I do to help my son? It hurts me to see how many needles he has to have. Please can I have the help of Ty and his wife and the rest of the team??!!! I know that with God all things are possible. I believe in miracles. Please help me with my son!! Thank you so much in advance!! I do get daily emails from you, as well as the weekly newsletter; really helpful.
Please please please help me help my son. I appreciate what you’re doing in sharing the truth about cancer. Thank you in advance!!!
Great to know BUT what would be more helpful/useful if the doses and frequency of use were stated for the different conditions. Otherwise its just more info.
so, how do you use it? consume it?
your article doesnt mention how it was used??? are we suppose to diffuse it? apply it to our skin? what?
Where are you sourcing your rosemary from?
What are the best ways to use it? Great article
Thank you for all this amazing info on not only rosemary but all the other oils as well! Great job! Keep it coming!
Thanks for the information. Please tell how to use Rosemary Essential Oil. Do you ingest it or use it topically/ Thank you so much.
I found this super helpful! Thank you!
How to make your own rosemary essential oil at home? Does anybody know simple home made recipe?
It’s not so much about having a recipe. You need to have a distiller in order to extract the oils from the plant. Then there is a lot of know-how involved in choosing the right variety of rosemary for the desired chemical constituents and it makes a big difference when in the cycle of the plant you harvest it and what time of day. You could try making an infusion with organic olive oil. That would be more simple, but you won’t get the same potency as an essential oil.
Gabi, I do what is technically an infused rosemary oil at home. I used a jojoba base and got one of those small crock pots, only 1.5 quarts. I simmer it for 5-6 hrs. and strain the leaves out. I found my recipe on Pinterest, but I’m pretty sure it is 1 C of rosemary leaves/needles to 2 cups of oil. I use it for many things and just love it!
Great information but it would be great to give info on how the best ways to use these oils
I agree with the other comments. It’s good you mentioned to use a carrier oil, but for instance, on hair growth, how do you use the oil? rub several drops on the scalp area that’s thinning? And for the other wonderful uses, please give us more info on how to properly use the oil. Thank you. Excellent information and so appreciative. You’re doing amazing work.
Actually I rec’d a text from a friend this week telling me she had been applying a combination of Rosemary frankencense & peppermint & she has seen new hair growth. She was applying for other reasons. No specific formula. She applied a combination of all three oils on her crown she got results. It was a slow process & she got results. Also keep in mind what it chemistry is like. I had another friend who used only peppermint & he lost hair. I was told that when one uses peppermint with combination with other oils it helps the potency of the other oils to work better. Hair loss possibly could b a result of low vitamin A, C & E. One resource to find other remedies for hair growth is go to YouTube& search key words essential oils hair growth. Hope this helps.
You should join Curing Cancer Naturally on Facebook. They have so much information and where to go to find what you need. They will help you as much as they can.
My reply was for Rolando Escamilla
Ty, this is a good article on rosemary essential oil. Does the rosemary essential oil have to be from Young Living? How can I tell whether it is a natural product for me to use?
When people with food allregies treat for leaky gut syndrome, the allregies dissapear. Check Dr. Christopher’s method with Slippery Elm bark and Licorice root powders, mixed and taken for 3-4 weeks, the whole day, and a tea the first three and the last three days, to kill parasites.
http://www.herballegacy.com/Candida.html
Everyone I know who tried it got cured of leaky gut in this short time period and food allergies went away completely.
I don’t know why people have to read books on the subject or check what they can eat, when it is this simple, but I guess some must make it more complicted and will not try the best method.
I am also interested in suggested dosages/how to use rosemary to fight against cancer, please/
Kindly list doses, frequency & method of use/application in articles. Not very helpful to have half info.
Thanks.
I would add it to my shampo
Just wanted to say how very encouraging it was to realize EVERY STUDY IS THOROUGHLY LISTED & BACKED UP!!! 🙂 One simply clicks the :
” [+] SOURCES AND REFERENCES. & Wallah all the factual proof one needs is listed in perfect detail Where any wise person will seek out the validity or invalidity…..SIMPLE!
Please look at the Budwig Oil Protein Diet. I have stage 4 prostate cancer and it is helping a lot.
Ty I am in my 80th year and survivor of breast cancer now over 4 years. I refused the Tamoxafin and broke down and begged them to stop the radiation half way through but “they” would not and so I am left with a mismatched and deformed breast…..so unnecessary. I had stage 1 with NO lymph node involvement. I send you and your team love and thanks to all from little Port Alfred in South Africa.
Hi Sue. You can add a few drops to your conditioner or put a few drops into fractionated oils and gently massage into scalp!
ABOUT DOSAGES: This is not chemical medicine where you have to be very careful with dosages or you might die or get sick. Just start using it, even if you are not used to it and don’t know how much is best.
Is this use topical only or can these oils be used in cooking
Not for cooking
I don’t think you can use the essential oil in cooking. Most oils are not for internal use.
I admire your work, and your mission, and your smile. Thank you for GREAT JOB. God bless you and your family. 🙂 🙂 🙂
You could put a few drops in your shampoo. I think wherever you apply it though, it spreads through the whole body within minutes.
That was meant for Sue Green.
I suggest personally doTERRA.
Download the free Print Friendly utility. Works great.
http://www.printfriendly.com/
This reply was for “MP” (11-16-16, 11:47 am) but it didn’t end up in the right place.
Rosemary is a powerful oil and can irritate the skin so should always be used in a carrier oil. 1 drop/ml of oil is a good rule of thumb. Please note that it should not be used with or around anyone with epilepsy as it can induce a seizure.
I agree with the others. I appreciate the article, but would greatly benefit from practical suggestions of how to use!
I ingest every day for detox .Very high quality EO’s are safe for ingestion. Be sure they are organically grown,distilled properly, ie; steam not chemical, tested, and not full of synthetic additives. Add oils AFTER cooking, just before serving to preserve constituents.
Carvone is in toothpaste as well, sometimes via mint oils. The massive problem for this whole essential oil phenomenon, is the same as with olive oil for example. The profits from adulterated extra virgin olive oil were as high as for narcotics with virtually no penalties for the oil adulterators, unlike the narcotics dealers; so they made huge profits from lying to the public. The same goes for essential oils, the corruption of these oils is legendary, with all sorts of cheap synthetic components exchanged for the real thing.
The cosmetics and perfume industry is awash with cheap synthetic chemicals.
Unless you watch the distiller distilling the oils properly, then get gas chromatography and mass spectrometry readings of an oil, you will never know what you are ingesting or breathing in.
Sometimes it will be worse using adulterated oils than not using them. It is a minefield of chemistry, and taxonomy and the words pure and therapeutic are meaningless spin.
you won’t get a response they can’t bothered. Also they refuse to post challenging information.
Please, we need more info on how to use it…. Earlier this year, I went to a home to find out more about E.O.’s & there were samples of food made w/essential oils. One had rosemary oil in it & was delicious!! I put lemon oil in my water as do many people. Another Dr.s site also puts lemon oil in his water
You do need to be very careful, essential oils are powerful and caution should be taken, DO NOT use whatever you think is ok!
Very good information on Rosemary oil. Thank you for sharing it.
I read this article with great excitement and anticipation. Excitement because it is an integral part of my daily “required” treatments and in anticipation because I wasn’t really sure why rosemary works for me. Point 6 is the highlight for me. I suffer from myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME but in the USA commonly referred to as CFS which neglects to acknowledge the severe neurological affect of this disease). In fact, in my debilitated state doctors declared me healthy simply because blood tests said I should be. Thankfully another recovered patient with ME got me on the right track and at the same time the TTAC series aired earlier this year.
My cognitive skills were severely affected but I got enough out of the series to support what I was told: go natural. There’s no drugs for ME anyway, it’s not even recognized much (if any) in the USA. So natural was my only option. From the TTAC cancer series I was convinced I had to try Frankincense oil – and later Rosemary. I saw dramatic results but I wasn’t convinced the oils alone can be that good. I’ve either stopped or forgotten a few times to keep up the use, and each time my symptoms came back. I’ve finally accepted that it really does make a difference. In fact, if I’m already in bed at night and I forgot, I’d get up and apply these two oils. I use other oils too but these are the two that I am not willing to miss out on. The intense effects of the ongoing inflammation is almost completely gone. I’ve got my brain function back so much that I’ve been studying online! That is a HUGE thing. I’ve improved in so many ways, I can probably write a book! But I just wanted to say, “thank you Ty Bollinger for doing the TTAC series, you have had a direct impact on my recovery with that info – even though my condition is not cancer related, studies showed that I’d be at high risk for cancer and that’s why I decided to watch it”. I am so grateful for everyone who worked to put that series together. And most of all grateful to God for the gifts and solutions He has provided in nature.
You do not say where you apply Rosemary, do you put on skin, drink with water? How many drops.
Does frankincense oil help heal psoriasis
I buy my oils from an online reputable company. Not multi level marketing companies. I placed a few lemon drops and rosemary drops of essential oil in a plastic cup of water. I noticed the plastic cup seemed to change to a rough surface inside to the level of where the water/oil mix was. I am not able to clean the plastic cup. I thought it was a residue. But the plastic cup had seemed to erode from this mix. Has anyone ever heard of this before? I drank the mix do you feel it is toxic to me. I will be using glass cups from now on.
I look forward to your answer.
Connie Williams
Love Rosemary essential oil! I get my oils from Edens Garden and love them all. They are high quality and tested oils without the steep price tag.
I use Rosemary essential oil for pain and injuries and am amazed at how well it works.
I recently applied over my knee that was giving me a fit and my hand I smacked against a car mirror, within a few minutes the pain was just about gone! Truly amazing, who knew? It is a wonderful healing oil, with so many applications. This one has a permanent place in my oil collection.