Rosemary: A Review of Botany, Phytochemicals, Bioactivities and Industrial Applications

Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinnalis) which is from Laimiaceae genus is almost scattered all over the world and is particularly concentrated in the Mediterranean area and it is also cultivated in Iran. Therefore, due to the importance of this plant and growing interest of people to use less chemical medicines, it seems necessary to examine the studies conducted to study the properties of Rosemary. Carnosic acid is currently an important composition which is a major component of Rosemary secondary composition. The key components which extracted from rosemary included: Cirsimaritin, Diosmin and Genkwanin. Rosemarinic acid is in the form of carnosol and carnosic acid has considerable anti-oxidant properties. Rosemary essence has very good antibacterial properties against many bacteria. In recent years, many researchers have been conducted on its inhibitory effects against microorganisms. Oleanolic acid have anti-viral, anti-oxidant and anti- proliferative properties to protect against anti-oxidative apoptosis. Ursolic acid can also be useful in preventing cancer. Rosemary is non-toxic to human and has no side effects, so that this valuable plant has been superior to some of the common antibiotics. Also, several reviewed studies showed that adding rosemary essence to food samples has a superior effect in reducing the microbial load and increasing the shelf life of foods. Given that anti- inflammatory, anti-oxidant and pharmacological properties of Rosemary with a wide range have been approved. So, this plant can be a suitable choice to be used in the field of pharmacy and food industry. Therefore, it seems necessary and beneficial to conduct further studies on evaluating its anti-microbial and anti-oxidant activities.