Midlife Health Benefits of Rosemary

Rosemary has a long history of medicinal use, the ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks all loved this herb. These days it's cultivated in most parts of the world and many of you can grow it yourself. (The image is from my garden)

Rosemary is often thought of as a culinary food and a symbol of respect. But it can also be used as a functional food with many different health benefits that are appealing for this stage of life.

Let’s start with the hormonal benefits of Rosemary

Rosemary may enhance your ability to detoxify estrogen. Estrogen has 3 phases of detoxification and phase 1 has 3 different pathways. The 2OH route - is the preferred pathway, the 4OH is the least preferred and potentially most carcinogen pathway and the 16 OH is the most proliferative pathway, think reproductive growths such as fibroids, polyps, cysts, but also tender breasts, heavier periods, etc.  Rosemary may act as a traffic controller directing estrogen away from the 16 OH pathway and toward the 2OH route.  It certainly may be something for peri-menopausal women struggling with estrogenic-type symptoms to consider. The literature also points to rosemary having inhibitory effects on breast cancer development due to enhanced estrogen clearance.

Rosemary is a dihydrotestosterone (DHT) blocker. Elevated levels of DHT can cause hair loss. Rosemary can inhibit the enzyme required to convert testosterone into dihydrotestosterone and may stop DHT from being able to bind to receptors. Resulting in less hair loss.

Its Brain health benefits include

•  Better focus, concentration, memory, and cognitive performance

•  Rosemary may help reduce neurodegeneration of the brain and age-related decline

•  Has stress-reducing qualities

•  May help promote healthy, happy moods and help reduce anxiety and depression

Its Muscular skeletal benefits include

•  Reduced pain and inflammation

•  May reduce bone loss 

•  It may reduce headaches and migraines

Its Blood sugar-balancing benefits include

•  Improved glycemic balance

•  It may increase insulin sensitivity

•  May reduce diabetic neuropathy and its associated pain and discomfort

Other general benefits include :

• It may help promote quality sleep

• It can provide anti-microbial support and boost immunity

• May promote eye health and reduce age-related eye disease

• May promote digestive health by reducing gas, bloating, and reflux.

• It may improve circulation

• Energetic benefits, it is thought to ward off evil spirits and negative energies, purify a space, and clear the air.

Luckily for you, rosemary is easy to come by, you may already have some in your garden. One of my favourite ways to use Rosemary is to season meat especially lamb with it. YUM But here are a few other ideas

• Drink it as a tea

• Use as an essential oil that you can inhale

• Create a cream from either the oil or a herbal extract

• Make a rosemary hair rinse, or scalp oil

• Add the leaves to soups, stews, casseroles, or gravies for extra flavour

• Add fresh leaves to green salads

If you are considering taking it as a concentrated supplement please speak to your healthcare team first, as all supplements come with cautions, contra-indications, and interactions. Please consider these warnings, Cautions - high doses may cause digestive upsets. Contra-indication includes pregnancy and possible medical interactions include blood thinning drugs, ACE inhibitors, diuretics, and lithium.

References

Rosmarinus officinalis as therapeutic and prophylactic agent

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6325740/

Dietary administration of an extract from rosemary leaves enhances the liver microsomal metabolism of endogenous oestrogens and decreases their uterotropic action

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9806165/

Promotion of hair growth by Rosemarinus officials leaf extract

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22517595/

Modulation of oestrogen and epidermal growth factor receptors by rosemary extract in breast cancer cells

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24615943/

Therapeutic effects of Rosemary and its active constituents on nervous system disorders

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7491497/