Essential Oils

10 Amazing Health Benefits Of Rosemary Essential Oil

Rosemary Essential Oil Health Benefits

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There are a lot of health benefits to using rosemary essential oil.

The latin name for rosemary is Rosmarinus officinalis.  The Latin name should be printed on any bottle of this potent oil that you purchase.  If the Latin name is not printed on the bottle this is a sign that the essential oil might not be pure.

According to there are two chemotypes of rosemary:

  • Rosmarinus officinalis var verbenoneaka Rosmarinus officinalis ct. verbenone. This one contains less camphor and has a more herbaceous scent.
  • Rosmarinus officinalis var cineoleaka Rosmarinus officinalis ct. cineole. This one is used mostly for respiratory and circulatory issues.

There are a lot of companies that sell adulterated essential oils like Green Health  ArtNaturals and Radha Beauty which are not pure, so make sure you don’t purchase rosemary from them.

Rosemary is a common essential oil that has a lot of health benefits. Over the last couple of years, it’s beginning to gain more and more popularity. While many people just think of rosemary as an herb. There are actually a lot of different uses that you can use it for.

Rosemary has a woody smell, but with a minty zing to it. It’s native to the Mediterranean region. Rosemary has been used for several centuries. It’s considered to be a sacred herb by Hebrews, Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans. It was actually used in medieval times to ward off evil spirits. It was also used to protect from the plague, too.

You can cook a lot of different dishes and add rosemary to it. This herb does have a lot of healing properties. It’s good for a lot of your important parts of your body like your brain, liver, blood flow, hair, skin, etc.

Aromatherapist have stated that rosemary can heal the heart, brain, and liver for several years now. In this article, I’m going to show you some of the most common health benefits of using rosemary as an essential oil.  After reading this article you will know how to use rosemary essential oil.

Rosemary Essential Oil Warning

Since Rosemary is an herb a lot of people think you can ingest it. However, you should never consume rosemary essential oil because this can cause vomiting and spasms. Also, it’s suggested that if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding you should avoid rosemary.

Some people have noticed allergic reactions and I would suggest contacting your doctor if you suspect you been having any allergic reactions.

10 Health Benefits Of Rosemary Essential Oils

There are many uses for rosemary essential oil.  So down below I’m going to show you all the ways you can use rosemary.   I hope that after reading this article you have a better understanding on how to use rosemary essential oil.

Rosemary mixes good with frankincense, lavender, cedarwood, clary sage, thyme, basil, lemongrass, elemi, peppermint, chamomile, geranium, and cardamon.

Hair Health

Rosemary is an excellent essential oil for your hair.

It’s really one of my favorite essential oils to use in my hair.

Have you ever taken a look at shampoos or lotions you own? There’s a good chance that these products will have rosemary in them. Rosemary used daily helps stimulate your hair follicles. This will make your hair grow longer and stronger. Additionally, rosemary aids in premature hair loss and also slows the process of your hair turning gray.

It’s been used for androgenetic alopecia (which is known as female pattern baldness or male pattern baldness).

In fact, studies have been conducted with rosemary essential oil and Minoxidil (2%). They found that there was a significant increase in hair growth after applying rosemary topically.

If you have a dry or flaky scalp rosemary will help nourish your scalp and assist you with your dandruff issues. A lot of people actually mix rosemary with tea tree oil and basil too.

Topically.  You can make your own rosemary and peppermint shampoo to help grow your hair faster.  Here is a simple recipe for making your own homemade essential oil shampoo:

  • 3 oz Aloe Vera Gel
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (extra virgin)
  • 5 Tablespoons of baking soda.
  • 10 drops rosemary
  • 5 drops peppermint.

Put the contents in a BPA free plastic bottle. If you can; put it in a glass bottle, which is much better for protecting essential oils.  Use the shampoo daily.

Cognitive Function Boost

One of the best things about rosemary is it helps your memory and you learn better with it.

Dr. Axe actually stated that he believes rosemary is the most underutilized essential oils for supporting energy.

You might be shocked to hear this, but I actually diffused rosemary while I was writing this article on rosemary essential oils health benefits.

Whenever I am working in my office I usually have rosemary diffusing in my InnoGear or URPOWER diffuser because it really helps me stay on track.

Your brain is very important and having your cognitive functions at their peak can help you tremendously in your life. This is why a lot of students will actually use rosemary to help with concentration when they’re studying. Also, it helps with depression, mental fatigue, and forgetfulness.  Here is a good study that showed rosemary increased alertness, memory, and mood.

Also, there have been studies that show rosemary can slow down Alzheimer’s disease.

Diffuse. It’s recommended that you add 4-7 drops of rosemary essential oil to your electronic diffuser. You can have this going in a room while you study, work, etc. I actually diffuse rosemary while writing a lot of the content for

Topically. Mix 3-4 drops of rosemary with 1/2 teaspoon of carrier oil and rub it on your upper neck and temples a couple times a day.

Digestive System Benefits

If you suffer from digestive issues rosemary can certainly help with those issues.

If you have stomach cramps, bloating, or constipation rosemary can be very beneficial to you. Rosemary is an appetite stimulant. While it can help at detoxifying your liver rosemary actually helps regulate the creation of bile.

Rosemary does this by stimulating the blood flow and also improves your circulation. This helps because it allows your body to absorb more nutrients from the food that you eat. This is an essential part of the digestive process.

Topically.  Make a roll-on with carrier oil with a 3-5% dilution ratio.  Apply it the left side of your abdominal muscles before or after you eat.  Rub in a counter-clockwise motion for 1-2 minutes.

Oral Care

Oral health is very important and rosemary essential oil can help.

Any dentist would try to tell you to brush your teeth and floss every day. But I think a lot of dentists would be surprised to hear that rosemary can help improve your oral health.

The reason that rosemary works so good for oral care is that it kills bacteria. Some health conditions that rosemary has helped prevent is gingivitis, plaque buildup, cavities, etc.

Topically.  Simply add 1-2 drops to your toothpaste.  Then brush your teeth.  Also, you can add 1-2 drops to your mouthwash and gargle for 20 seconds.  Make sure you don’t swallow any of the essential oil because it’s not recommended to ingest rosemary essential oil.  Do this once or twice a day.

Skin Treatment

There are a lot of skin care products on the market today. If you check the label on them you will see that some of them contain rosemary. This is because rosemary is an antimicrobial and has a lot of antiseptic qualities.

If you use rosemary daily this oil helps remove dryness from your skin. Also, it will restore the glow to your skin and help moisturize your skin.  Lavender is another essential oil that helps moisturize your skin, too.

Because of Rosemary’s antimicrobial and antiseptic qualities, it can be used to help clear up your acne, too. You can dab your pimple a couple times a day either with a carrier oil.

Topically.  Add a couple drops of rosemary to your lotion.  Add rosemary to your acne fighting recipe.  I have written about acne which you can check out here for some great ideas for using rosemary to help fight acne.

For whiteheads and blackheads that have already popped, you can apply rosemary essential oil with a carrier oil (like coconut oil) to help reduce the risk of scarring, too.

Reduce Stress

Rosemary can help relieve your stress.

I have already written about stress and anxiety which you can check out here.

Like other essential oil‘s like lavender, rosemary does help with stress. Rosemary is effective because it decreases the level of cortisol in your saliva.

Cortisol is actually the main stress hormone and releases a fight or flight response when your body is stressed. Therefore rosemary regulates your hormonal balance and has been shown to significantly reduce too much cortisol in your bloodstream.

There was a study in Meikai University, School of Dentristy (in Japan) that showed how using rosemary for just 5 minutes reduced cortisol levels.

Diffuse.  Add a couple drops to your electronic diffuser and let it run throughout the day.

Immune System Booster

No one likes being sick and rosemary essential oil can you from getting sick.

I’m sure everyone’s heard of antioxidants and how they are your buddies defensive mechanism for fighting off diseases and infections. What rosemary does is it stimulates the activity of antioxidants which does boost your immune system.

I have stated that rosemary reduces the cortisol levels in your bloodstream.  It also helps improve free radicals which will help boost your immune system and allow you to fight off different diseases and illnesses. This could include anything from cancer to heart diseases.

Diffuse.  Add 3-4 drops of rosemary to your diffuser throughout the day to help give your immune system an extra added boost.

Also, rosemary is one essential oil that is in the Thieves blend by Young Living.  Please click here to find out how to make your own Thieves blend and the health benefits of this powerful blend.

Pain Relief

A lot of people are actually surprised that rosemary is effective in treating pain. This could be anything from muscle pains, headaches, arthritis, and rheumatism.

It stimulates your blood circulation and allows your wounds to heal quicker. A lot of people that have sprains or joint aches will use rosemary because of its anti-inflammatory qualities, too.

Topically.  You can add 2 drops of rosemary and 2 drops of peppermint with a teaspoon of carrier oil.  Rub it on your sore muscles and joints 2-3 times day.

Bath.  You can make a rosemary bath and this will help with relieving your pain.  Typically, you want to but 8-10 drops of rosemary into the bath water.  Soak in the bath for 20-30 minutes.

Eliminates Bad Odor

Nothing is going to eliminate bad odor more than cleaning your house or workspace.

I have already written about cleaning with essential oils which you can check out here.

But, rosemary is an essential oil that I do use for cleaning. Not only does it have some antibacterial properties rosemary helps remove bad odor.

You can make an air fresher spritzer:

  • 1 Cup Water
  • 2 tablespoons Witch Hazel
  • 10 Drops Rosemary
  • 8 Drops Lemon

Fights of Respiratory Problems

Rosemary - Plant Therapy 10 mLIf you have respiratory issues like allergies, sore throat, a cold, and even the flu. Rosemary can help with your respiratory problems. There are a lot of benefits to rosemary which has been supported by research. This shows that rosemary has a lot of antiseptic qualities and has even been used to relieve bronchial asthma.

Inhale.  Use an inhaler like the one by Plant Therapy (see my review here).  You can put 10 drops of eucalyptus with 5 drops of rosemary into your inhaler and inhale for 1-2 minutes when you want throughout the day.

According to what I read on it’s one of the favorite essential oils of Paracelsus. He was a well-known German-Swiss botanist and physician.  But, it’s certainly one of my favorite essential oils, too.  I use it on a daily basis.

If you are looking to purchase rosemary essential oil there are some good brands that I highly recommend. Purchase them from Plant Therapy, Aura Cacia, and NOW.

Hopefully, this clears up any questions you might have about Rosemary essential oils. Please let me know down below if you have any questions about rosemary.

23 thoughts on “10 Amazing Health Benefits Of Rosemary Essential Oil

  1. After reading this review, I think rosemary essential oil is a must-have in my house. All these benefits, I haven’t known before. I especially like the oral use, the better breath smell and the killing of bacteria.

    You say Rosemary essential oil can be used in the kitchen for flavoring meals but on the other hand, you say it isn’t good for consumption. I’m confused.

    Anyway, we have Rosmarine dried herbs in the kitchen and we quite often use them, especially for Italian food.

    1. Hey Stephan,

      The reason rosemary essential oil can’t be ingested is that essential oils are 40x more potent than the herb. I have heard that 250 pounds of plants make about a pound of essential oil. This means that these oils are highly concentrated and should never be consumed.

  2. An oil that slows down the greying process? SOLD! Why isn’t this more popular?
    Very informative post, I honestly had no idea that this oil had so many uses.
    Thanks for sharing!

    1. Rosemary is a very popular essential oil. However, a lot of people don’t know just how healing rosemary can be, though. There are many ways to use rosemary and it can be used to help cure a lot of different issues.

    1. Yes, you can use it as a vapor or inhale it. Typically, when people do this they do it a couple different ways. You can use your diffusor and breathe it in that way. However, a better option for inhaling it would be to rub some rosemary on your wrist (on the underside). Then throughout the day, you can smell your wrist which should work well for digestion issues.

      Also, you can use rosemary with a carrier oil and massage your lower abdomen area. When you do this it will soothe your stomach muscles. It’s a great way to soothe your stomach when you’re constipated.

  3. I love learning how to better use essential oils. I love rosemary it seems to help me a lot with anxiety. I mix rosemary with lavender in my diffuser and found it really helps lower my anxiety levels. It really just seems to calm me down. Little things that usually bother me seem to not bother me as much. I love the smell of rosemary, too. I got it for mental clarity, but it’s good to know there are so many more health benefits with rosemary.

    1. Hey Kris,
      There are certainly a lot of health benefits to rosemary. It does mix well with lavender as you have already been doing. I can attest to rosemary and lavender help calm me down as well. Rosemary is one of those essential oils that I believe more people should know about because it has so many healing properties.

  4. What an informative article! Before this, I only knew rosemary is a natural preservative, it can be used to extend the shelf life of foods without using chemical additives. I never knew it has so many other functions! I especially like the skin treatment part, as it speaks to me, two of my kids have bad eczema. I’ll be trying this out for them! Thank you.

    1. Hey Joo,

      You should really consider using rosemary and see if it helps with your daughter’s eczema. I would recommend using 1 drop of rosemary essential oil with a teaspoon of carrier oil. This is a healthy dose for a child. However, a healthy dose for an adult would be 2 drops of rosemary per teaspoon.

      As far as the carrier oil that you should use. I would recommend Plant Therapy Organic Sunflower Carrier Oil. Plant Therapy makes awesome essential oils and their carrier oils are amazing.

      Hope this helps.

  5. Hey, there!

    I had no idea and I’m actually genuinely surprised that Rosemary is such a beneficial substance. 🙂
    A question though in this regard – does these benefits also apply to the Rosemary Extract that is seen a lot of times as an ingredient in various foods? Or is it rather just something that applies for the Rosemary Essential Oils specifically?

    Cheers! And Have A Great One!

    1. Hey Matiss,

      A lot of people are actually surprised that rosemary has so many health benefits. A lot of people just think of it as a herb that they can add to a lot of dishes for flavor, but don’t realize just how beneficial it actually is.

      To answer your question the essential oils are never to be ingested, though. If you do ingest rosemary essential oil it can be very toxic to the body though. Essential oils are highly concentrated and while rosemary is an herb you still don’t want to use it orally.

      I didn’t actually know that rosemary extract existed, to be honest with you. I guess I learn something new every day, though. But, to answer your question it only pertains to rosemary as an essential oil. There are a lot of health benefits to rosemary when ingested, though.

  6. I personally have been using Rosemary essential oil on my scalp every night as a hair loss treatment, after reading a study that said it was as effective as minoxidil (Rogaine) after 6 months of continuous use. I love the smell, even though it is a little strong. Great post, I didn’t know about the digestive benefits!

  7. It looks like rosemary has much more benefits then I thought! My little son loves to chew it, he says it freshens his mouth! I discovered essential oils recently; I can tell you that rosemary will be the next I’ll buy!

    1. Hey Arianna,
      Yeah, a lot of people are actually so surprised at just how many health benefits rosemary has. I wasn’t aware that people chew rosemary to freshen their breath, though. It’s certainly one of my favorite essential oils. The smell is awesome and the therapeutic benefits of rosemary are awesome!

  8. It really does help with memory! It’s one of my pre-test rituals I will put about 5 drops in my diffuser and inhale (breathing very slowly through my nose and mouth before taking a test). I have noticed that I have a lot less test anxiety and rosemary is certainly one of my favorite essential oils.

    1. Hey Tandy,

      Thanks for letting us know that rosemary has helped with your test anxiety. I guess it’s no surprise that a lot of people use it just for that purpose!

  9. Really? I did not know that there has to be a latin name on the bottle.  This helps with verifying that it’s pure right? Somehow I know that rosemary is good for you but I always pick the bergamot, frankincense, or lavender for my diffuser. I am going to pick one now since there are so many benefits. 

    I think I only use rosemary for french onion soup yummm.  It is perfect for this weather, but can you put a few essential oil drops in the soup? Is it edible? Just curious. 

    And I thought that tea tree oil is the only one that kills bacteria, i use it to treat my pimples it’s good to know that rosemary kills bacteria too. 


  10. I have heard many positive things about essential oils for years and that they have natural benefits that can help treat certain health issues. I had no idea that Rosemary essential oil could be used for so many purposes. I definitely want to check more of your website posts about the other different essential oil and how they can be used on a daily basis. How long does a bottle of essential oil last? Does it depend on the method it’s being used in?

    Also, I was checking out Bulk Apothecary for essential oils. Are they a good brand to purchase essential oils from?

  11. Wow, I never thought that rosemary has all these benefits in the body. Thanks for this very informative article. It is so amazing that plants or herbs such as this could heal a lot of body disorders. My mom used to apply essential oil to her head whenever she had headache or feeling dizzy. According to her the oil relieves the pain and it keep her relax. I am fond of essential oils but this review made me to consider. By the way, is this recommended for someone with asthma like me if I inhale it?

  12. Rosemary essential oil is the best essential oil you can use when you are studying for a test.  I simply could not study without it.  For some reason it really seems to help me concentrate and I don’t get as anxious as I usually do when I diffuse rosemary essential oil.

    I do use a inhaler throughout the day.  Before I take a test I inhale rosemary for about 1-2 minutes.  It really is an effective essential oil.  Not to mention it’s pretty cheap, too.

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