Rosemary is native mainly to the Mediterranean regions, where it is also grown as a spice plant. The plant material comes mainly from southeastern Europe, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia.
Rosemary in herbal medicine
In herbal medicine, the dried leaves of the plant (Rosmarini folium) and the essential oil extracted from them (Rosmarini aetheroleum) are used.
Characteristics of rosemary
Rosemary is an evergreen shrub about 1 m tall with narrow, needle-shaped leaves. The leaves are curled downward and have white hairs on the underside. Bluish to purple lipped flowers sit in the leaf axils.
Rosemary leaves as a medicine
Rosemary leaves are narrow leaves up to 3 cm long without stems. The edge is curled downward, and they have a leathery, brittle texture. In the middle there is a furrow longitudinally. The underside of the leaves always has white hairs, while the upper side has hairs only on young leaves.
How does rosemary smell and taste?
Rosemary leaves give off a very spicy, pleasant smell. The taste of rosemary is spicy-tart to bitter-aromatic and slightly pungent.
