Rosemary- good for your skin, brain and sleep
Rosemary has a multitude of benefits. It is one of my favorite herbs and I have it in my garden. It is amazing how, many of the herbs that we use for flavoring our food and cooking have so many benefits for our body. I truly believe that the best medicine is a healthy, flavorful diet.
Rosemary is a popular herb used in Mediterranean cuisine. And as tasty as it is, two of its components, Rosmarinic acid and Carnosic acid, have a wide range of benefits.
Rosmarinic acid has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-aging, antimicrobial, antiviral AND brain protective properties... the bonus is that studies have shown rosemary can help to prevent cancer and cancerous growths in mice!
Carnosic acid has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and brain protective properties. Studies have shown great promise in Carnosic acid being able to help slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease, mental decline and dementia. It seems to help regulate blood sugar and prevent diabetes. It stimulates blood circulation and helps to encourage hair growth.
Rosemary has been shown to help activate the body's defenses to prevent and to help with stress, depression, mental health, memory and increase mental sharpness.
With all these benefits, the one that I am targeting this week is the ability to stimulate hair growth. You may have seen oils for sell in the store which have rosemary and mint for hair growth. I have used an oil of rosemary and mint for my hair. I had telogen effluvium after I had COVID. That just means that almost all of my hair fell out from the root. My hairdresser examined my scalp and told me that COVID had damaged my scalp but the hair could grow back. I made my oil from coconut oil, rosemary and mint. I applied it and my hair grew. Studies show that you should see significant hair growth in about 6 months. Not long hair, just something actually growing out of your head. In my most damaged area, my experience was that the oil was causing my hair growth. Every time I stopped applying the oil, my hair stopped growing. I kept waiting for it to pick back up on its own. It took over 2 years before I had to stop applying the oil for my hair to grow. And then it grew much slower than the hair around it. It is now in 2026 just now starting to grow at the same pace as the surrounding hairs. I've kept my hair short, just chin length the entire time to accommodate for that area's slow growth.
Studies have shown that rosemary can be equally as effective as minoxidil for hair growth. The reasons that I prefer rosemary are:
*Less side effects compared to minoxidil
*Far more cost effective
Are there some negatives to using this oil? Well, the one that I immediately thought of is that it doesn't smell great. It's not horrible but it just smells like rosemary and not perfume. The bright side of this coin is that inhaling the rosemary aroma can actually be really good for your mood.
If you want to make your own at home:
Get some sprigs of fresh, organic, non-GMO rosemary and mint. Wash your herbs if you are harvesting them yourself. Choose your oil and warm it in a non-reactive pot. I have cast iron and ceramic cookware. Steep the rosemary and mint in the oil for about 30 minutes. ( For measurements, I would use equal parts rosemary and mint and oil.) Strain the oil. Place in a glass container and seal it.
That's it! You will have your own hair oil. The shelf life will largely depend on the shelf life of your oil.
For the other benefits that have been found in rosemary, I think the best way to get them is just to incorporate rosemary into your diet on a regular basis. Always remember that they used very large amounts of the compounds when they conduct studies to get the results that they see. Also, don't forget to contact your health professional before making any changes to your diet or supplement plan.
Rosemary's benefits are so vast. We have only scratched the surface. There is still the benefits to the eyes, mouth...etc. I just wanted to give you a taste of the goodness of this herb and a few reasons to use it.
Sources:
Zhao J, Xu L, Jin D, Xin Y, Tian L, Wang T, Zhao D, Wang Z, Wang J. Rosmarinic Acid and Related Dietary Supplements: Potential Applications in the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer. Biomolecules. 2022 Oct 2;12(10):1410. doi: 10.3390/biom12101410. PMID: 36291619; PMCID: PMC9599057.
Ghasemzadeh Rahbardar M, Hosseinzadeh H. Therapeutic effects of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) and its active constituents on nervous system disorders. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2020 Sep;23(9):1100-1112. doi: 10.22038/ijbms.2020.45269.10541. PMID: 32963731; PMCID: PMC7491497.
https://www.alzdiscovery.org/uploads/cognitive_vitality_media/Carnosic-acid-Cognitive-Vitality-For-Researchers.pdf.
Panahi Y, Taghizadeh M, Marzony ET, Sahebkar A. Rosemary oil vs minoxidil 2% for the treatment of androgenetic alopecia: a randomized comparative trial. Skinmed. 2015 Jan-Feb;13(1):15-21. PMID: 25842469.
https://www.today.com/shop/best-ingredients-for-hair-growth-rcna149008