Rosemary
Rosemary is an herbal remedy used to improve memory, relieve muscle pain and spasm, relieve menstrual cramps, and stimulate hair growth.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is widely used as a culinary herb, especially in Mediterranean dishes, and is also used as a fragrant additive in soaps and other cosmetics. Traditionally, rosemary has been used by herbalists to improve memory, relieve muscle pain and spasm, stimulate hair growth, and support the circulatory and nervous systems. It is also believed to affect the menstrual cycle, act as an abortifacient (inducing miscarriage), relieve menstrual cramps, increase urine flow, and reduce kidney pain (for example, from kidney stones). Recently, rosemary has been the object of laboratory and animal studies investigating its potential in the prevention of cancer and its antibacterial properties.

Botanical Name: Rosmarinus officinalis 
 
What is Rosemary?
Native to the Mediterranean area, rosemary is now cultivated widely in other parts of the world, although it thrives in a warm and relatively dry climate. The plant takes its name from rosmarinus, a Latin term meaning "sea dew." It is an erect evergreen shrub that can grow to a height of six and a half feet. The woody rootstock bears rigid branches with fissured bark. The long, linear, needle-like leaves are dark green above and white beneath. Both the fresh and dried leaves are pungent. The small flowers are pale blue. The leaves and parts of the flowers contain volatile oil.

How does Rosemary work?
The leaves and twigs of the rosemary plant are used for culinary and medicinal purposes.

Food Preservation
Most evidence for rosemary's medicinal uses comes from clinical experience rather than from scientific studies. However, recent laboratory studies have shown that rosemary slows the growth of a number of bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus that are involved in food spoilage, and may actually perform better than some commercially used food preservatives.

Alopecia
As stated above, one traditional use of rosemary has been to try to stimulate hair growth. In one study of 86 people with alopecia areata (a disease of unknown cause characterized by significant hair loss, generally in patches), those who massaged their scalps with rosemary and other essential oils (including lavender, thyme, and cedarwood) every day for 7 months experienced significant hair re-growth compared to those who massaged their scalps without the essential oils. It is not entirely clear from this study whether rosemary (or a combination of rosemary and the other essential oils) was responsible for the beneficial effects.

Cancer
Both laboratory and animal studies suggest that rosemary's antioxidant properties may have activity against colon, breast, stomach, lung, and skin cancer cells. Much more research in this area, including trials involving people, must be conducted before conclusions can be drawn about the value of rosemary for cancer.

Available Forms
Dried whole herb
Dried, powdered extract (in capsules)
Preparations derived from fresh or dried leaves, such as tinctures, infusions, liquid extract, and rosemary wine
Volatile oil (to be used externally, not to be ingested)