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Rosemary

Salvia rosmarinus

Also known as rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis

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A woody Mediterranean shrub whose needle-like leaves are used fresh or dried. Rosemary extract is also used industrially as a preservative because its diterpenes slow fat oxidation in food.

Antioxidant & Oxidative StressBrain & Cognitive Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Limited

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Oxidative stress markers

Antioxidant & Oxidative Stress
Limited evidence

Rosemary extract is used commercially to slow fat oxidation in foods, which is a chemistry effect in the product rather than an effect in a person. The small number of human studies use concentrated extracts and report inconsistent changes in oxidative markers.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cognitive function

Brain & Cognitive Health
Insufficient evidence

Rosemary aroma and rosemary extract have been tested in a handful of small cognition studies with mixed results, inconsistent endpoints and no dependable replication. The marketing of rosemary as a memory herb runs far ahead of what has been shown.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Rosemary

Ask about Rosemary

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

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Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories131 kcal7%
Protein3.31 g7%
Total fat5.86 g8%
Carbohydrate20.7 g8%
Fibre14.1 g50%
Water67.8 g—
Fats
Saturated fat2.84 g14%
Monounsaturated fat1.16 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.901 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.447 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A146 µg16%
Vitamin C21.8 mg24%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.036 mg3%
Riboflavin (B2)0.152 mg12%
Niacin (B3)0.912 mg6%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.804 mg16%
Vitamin B60.336 mg20%
Folate109 µg27%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium317 mg24%
Iron6.65 mg37%
Magnesium91 mg22%
Phosphorus66 mg5%
Potassium668 mg14%
Sodium26 mg1%
Zinc0.93 mg8%
Copper0.301 mg33%
Manganese0.96 mg42%
Other measured compounds
Ash2.35 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Rosemary, fresh (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 173473).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • roastedReduces heterocyclic amine formation in grilled meat

    Rosemary or rosemary extract applied to meat before high-temperature grilling reduces measured heterocyclic amine formation in the cooked meat. This is a food-chemistry finding measured in the meat, not a demonstrated health outcome in people.

  • driedPreserves carnosic acid and aroma

    Rosemary is one of the few herbs that dries well, retaining much of its character because its principal compounds are relatively heat-stable and held in tough leaves.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Too much

    Rosemary essential oil is not food

    Ingesting rosemary essential oil has caused seizures, vomiting and coma in case reports, and camphor-rich oils are especially hazardous. The oil should never be swallowed, and it should be kept away from children.

  • Worth knowing

    Medicinal doses in pregnancy and epilepsy

    Rosemary preparations at medicinal doses are traditionally discouraged in pregnancy, and the seizure reports mean concentrated rosemary products are a poor idea for anyone with epilepsy. Cooking amounts are not the concern.

  • Allergy

    Contact dermatitis

    Rosemary is a recognised, if uncommon, cause of allergic contact dermatitis, mostly from cosmetic and topical products rather than food.