Functional food applications of Rosmarinus officinalis: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic health perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31989/ffs.v5i10.1756Abstract
Rosmarinus officinalis L. (rosemary), a well-known aromatic herb of the Lamiaceae family, has long been valued for its culinary, medicinal, and industrial applications. Unlike previous reviews, this study integrates updated evidence (1998–2025) on rosemary’s phytochemical composition, highlighting how geographical origin, environmental conditions, and extraction methods influence its bioactive profile. Rich in rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, carnosol, and essential oils, rosemary exhibits diverse biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, and antidiabetic effects. The graphical abstract 1 illustrates the major bioactive constituents of Rosmarinus officinalis L. and highlights their therapeutic potentials, emphasizing its role as a promising functional food and medicinal plant.This review uniquely emphasizes rosemary’s functional food potential, including applications in food preservation, active packaging, and health-promoting dietary interventions. Mechanistic insights reveal that rosemary bioactives act through enhancement of antioxidant defenses, modulation of inflammatory pathways, regulation of apoptosis, and restoration of metabolic balance. By synthesizing mechanistic, pharmacological, and functional food perspectives, this review provides a novel, comprehensive resource for future research and practical applications in nutrition and therapeutics.
Keywords: rosemary, rosmarinic acid, carnosic acid, carnosol, antioxidant, functional food
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 FFS/Functional Food Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.
By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained.