Easy Rosemary Tea Recipe

Rosemary – Rosmarinus officinalis – Tastes like pine, with both a camphorous, and a herbaceous note.  Try this Easy Rosemary Tea Recipe to help as a circulatory tonic, stimulant, respiratory aid, and to improve concentration.  Avoid during pregnancy and with small children.  Do not drink in excess.

By: Kathy Sadowski, MS in Aromatherapy, Registered Aromatherapist, LMT, RYT

Easy Rosemary Tea Recipe Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp of fresh or 1/2 Tbsp of dried rosemary
• 2 Cups of hot water
• 1 Tbsp of honey
• Squeezed lemon: optional

Easy Rosemary Tea Recipe Instructions

• Instructions.   Pour the hot water over the rosemary and steep about 7 minutes.  Add honey to taste.  Inhale while drinking to improve concentration.

Easy Rosemary Tea Recipe Research

• Rosemary inhalation had a stimulatory effect via brain wave activity, autonomic nervous system activity, and mood.  From:  Sayorwan, W., Ruangrungsi, N., Piriyapunyporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Siripornpanich, V. (2013). Effects of inhaled rosemary oil on subjective feelings and activities of the nervous system. Scientia pharmaceutica, 81(2), 531.
• The study showed  a stimulating effect of a rosemary oil massage.  From:  Hongratanaworakit, T. (2009). Simultaneous aromatherapy massage with rosemary oil on humans. Scientia Pharmaceutica, 77(2), 375.
• Lavender relaxed test takers, reduced test anxiety, and improved testing ability.  Rosemary stimulated test takers, reduced test anxiety, and made them faster but not more accurate when taking the test.  From:  Diego, M. A., Jones, N. A., Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., Schanberg, S., Kuhn, C., … & Galamaga, R. (1998). Aromatherapy positively affects mood, EEG patterns of alertness and math computations. International Journal of Neuroscience, 96(3-4), 217-224.
• Inhalation of rosemary had a stimulant effect, improved mood, and brain clarity in participants.  From:  Sayorwan, W., Ruangrungsi, N., Piriyapunyporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Siripornpanich, V. (2012). Effects of inhaled rosemary oil on subjective feelings and activities of the nervous system. Scientia pharmaceutica, 81(2), 531-542.
• Rosemary extract had an antidepressive action in mice.  From:  Machado, D. G., Bettio, L. E., Cunha, M. P., Capra, J. C., Dalmarco, J. B., Pizzolatti, M. G., & Rodrigues, A. L. S. (2009). Antidepressant-like effect of the extract of Rosmarinus officinalis in mice: involvement of the monoaminergic system. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 33(4), 642-650.
• Both adults and infants showed a reduced depressed affect in their EEG with inhalation of rosemary and lavender.  From:  Sanders, C., Diego, M., Fernandez, M., Field, T., Hernandez-Reif, M., & Roca, A. (2002). EEG asymmetry responses to lavender and rosemary aromas in adults and infants. International Journal of Neuroscience, 112(11), 1305-1320.
• In studying improvement of memory and cognition, three Corydalis species were tested for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity and Corydalis cava, Corydalis intermedia, Corydalis solida ssp. laxa and Corydalis solida exhibited significant inhibitory activity.  Extracts of Ruta graveolens (rue), Lavandula angustifolia (lavender), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), Petroselinum crispum (parsley) and Mentha spicata (spearmint) exhibited moderate inhibitory activity.  From:  Adsersen, A., Gauguin, B., Gudiksen, L., & Jäger, A. K. (2006). Screening of plants used in Danish folk medicine to treat memory dysfunction for acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 104(3), 418-422.
• Aromatherapy of rosemary and lemon essential oils in the morning, and lavender and orange in the evening improved cognition of Alzheimer’s patients.  From:  Jimbo, D., Kimura, Y., Taniguchi, M., Inoue, M., & Urakami, K. (2009). Effect of aromatherapy on patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Psychogeriatrics, 9(4), 173-179.
• The potent aroma of rosemary strongly improved environmental context dependent memory in humans.  From:  Ball, L. J., Shoker, J., & Miles, J. N. (2010). Odour‐based context reinstatement effects with indirect measures of memory: The curious case of rosemary. British Journal of Psychology, 101(4), 655-678.
• Rosemary and lavender scents lowered fatigue while lavender also lowered tension (anxiety / confusion) in human participants.  From:  Burnett, K. M., Solterbeck, L. A., & Strapp, C. M. (2004). Scent and mood state following an anxiety-provoking task. Psychological reports, 95(2), 707-722.
• Rosemary inhalation improved cognitive assessment in healthy adults.  From:  Moss, M., Cook, J., Wesnes, K., & Duckett, P. (2003). Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults. International Journal of Neuroscience, 113(1), 15-38.  Link:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207450390161903
• Ingestion of dried rosemary improved cognitive function in the elderly.  From:  Pengelly, A., Snow, J., Mills, S. Y., Scholey, A., Wesnes, K., & Butler, L. R. (2012). Short-term study on the effects of rosemary on cognitive function in an elderly population. Journal of medicinal food, 15(1), 10-17.
• Inhalation of rosemary had a stimulant effect, improved mood, and brain clarity in participants.  From:  Sayorwan, W., Ruangrungsi, N., Piriyapunyporn, T., Hongratanaworakit, T., Kotchabhakdi, N., & Siripornpanich, V. (2012). Effects of inhaled rosemary oil on subjective feelings and activities of the nervous system. Scientia pharmaceutica, 81(2), 531-542.
• Lavender and rosemary essential oil sachets reduced test-taking stress in graduate nursing students.  From:  McCaffrey, R., Thomas, D. J., & Kinzelman, A. O. (2009). The Effects of Lavender and Rosemary Essential Oils on Test‐Taking Anxiety Among Graduate Nursing Students. Holistic nursing practice, 23(2), 88-93.
• Aromatherapy massage using lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and lemon reduced anxiety and improved self esteem.  From:  Rho, K. H., Han, S. H., Kim, K. S., & Lee, M. S. (2006). Effects of aromatherapy massage on anxiety and self-esteem in korean elderly women: a pilot study. International Journal of Neuroscience, 116(12), 1447-1455.  Link:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00207450500514268
• Aromatherapy of lavender, peppermint, rosemary, and clary sage reduced stress in nursing students.  From:  Park, M. K., & Lee, E. S. (2004). [The effect of aroma inhalation method on stress responses of nursing students]. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi, 34(2), 344-351.
• In this ethnobotanical study of plant use in Morocco, rosemary has been used to treat both hypertension and diabetes.  From:  Tahraoui, A., El-Hilaly, J., Israili, Z. H., & Lyoussi, B. (2007). Ethnopharmacological survey of plants used in the traditional treatment of hypertension and diabetes in south-eastern Morocco (Errachidia province). Journal of ethnopharmacology, 110(1), 105-117.
• Extracts of cloves, ground Jamaican allspice, and cinnamon showed the strong antidiabetic activity in vitro, likely due to phenolic content. Other potent herbs tested included sage, marjoram, tarragon, and rosemary. From:  Dearlove, R. P., Greenspan, P., Hartle, D. K., Swanson, R. B., & Hargrove, J. L. (2008). Inhibition of protein glycation by extracts of culinary herbs and spices. Journal of medicinal food, 11(2), 275-281.
• Carnosic acid and carnosol constituents from rosemary and sage had a blood sugar lowering effect.  From:  Rau, O., Wurglics, M., Paulke, A., Zitzkowski, J., Meindl, N., Bock, A., … & Schubert-Zsilavecz, M. (2006). Carnosic acid and carnosol, phenolic diterpene compounds of the labiate herbs rosemary and sage, are activators of the human peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma. Planta medica, 72(10), 881-887.
• Oregano, rosemary, clove, and other plants showed positive glycation inhibitory and antioxidative activities that could be useful in treating diabetes. From:  Kim, H. Y., & Kim, K. (2003). Protein glycation inhibitory and antioxidative activities of some plant extracts in vitro. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 51(6), 1586-1591.
• Oregano, rosemary, and lemon balm showed in vitro action that might be useful in treating diabetes and hypertension.  From:  Kwon, Y. I. I., Vattem, D. A., & Shetty, K. (2006). Evaluation of clonal herbs of Lamiaceae species for management of diabetes and hypertension. Asia pacific journal of clinical nutrition, 15(1), 107-118.
• Extract from R. officinalis had a hyperglycemic and insulin release inhibitory effects in rabbits. From:  Al-Hader, A. A., Hasan, Z. A., & Aqel, M. B. (1994). Hyperglycemic and insulin release inhibitory effects of Rosmarinus officinalis. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 43(3), 217-221.
• Likely related to its potent antioxidant properties, Rosmarinus officinalis extract had remarkable antidiabetogenic results in rabbits.  From:  Bakırel, T., Bakırel, U., Keleş, O. Ü., Ülgen, S. G., & Yardibi, H. (2008). In vivo assessment of antidiabetic and antioxidant activities of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) in alloxan-diabetic rabbits. Journal of ethnopharmacology, 116(1), 64-73.
• Rosemary extract showed antiglycation-related abilities.  From:  Hsieh, C. L., Peng, C. H., Chyau, C. C., Lin, Y. C., Wang, H. E., & Peng, R. Y. (2007). Low-density lipoprotein, collagen, and thrombin models reveal that Rosemarinus officinalis L. exhibits potent antiglycative effects. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 55(8), 2884-2891.
• This article summarized the use of Eucalyptus citriodora, Eucalyptus globulus, Mentha piperita, Origanum syriacum, Salvia fruticosa and Rosmarinus officinalis in treating respiratory ailments. From: Rakover, Y., Ben-Arye, E., & Goldstein, L. H. (2008). The treatment of respiratory ailments with essential oils of some aromatic medicinal plants. Harefuah, 147(10), 783-8.
• The antiplatelet activity of carnosic acid was demonstrated. From:  Lee, J. J., Jin, Y. R., Lee, J. H., Yu, J. Y., Han, X. H., Oh, K. W., … & Yun, Y. P. (2007). Antiplatelet activity of carnosic acid, a phenolic diterpene from Rosmarinus officinalis. Planta medica, 73(02), 121-127.
• Dried rosemary and  higher concentration of dried thyme significantly inhibited arterial thrombus formation. Both rosemary and thyme significantly inhibited platelet reactivity and enhanced vasodilation.  From:  Naemura, A., Ura, M., Yamashita, T., Arai, R., & Yamamoto, J. (2008). Long-term intake of rosemary and common thyme herbs inhibits experimental thrombosis without prolongation of bleeding time. Thrombosis research, 122(4), 517-522.  Link:  http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.thromres.2008.01.014
• Thyme and rosemary were antithrombotic in vitro and in vivo.  From:  Yamamoto, J., Yamada, K., Naemura, A., Yamashita, T., & Arai, R. (2005). Testing various herbs for antithrombotic effect. Nutrition, 21(5), 580-587.
• Carnosic acid has anti-inflammatory properties that could reduce atherosclerosis.  From:  Yu, Y. M., Lin, H. C., & Chang, W. C. (2008). Carnosic acid prevents the migration of human aortic smooth muscle cells by inhibiting the activation and expression of matrix metalloproteinase-9. British Journal of Nutrition, 100(04), 731-738.
• Carnosol, rosmanol, and epirosmanol had an inhibitory activity to LDL oxidation.  From:  Zeng, H. H., Tu, P. F., Zhou, K., Wang, H., Wang, B. H., & Lu, J. F. (2001). Antioxidant properties of phenolic diterpenes from Rosmarinus officinalis. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, 22(12), 1094-1098.
• Carnosic acid and carnosol inhibited adipocytes in mice and might be usable in obesity-related diseases.  From:  Takahashi, T., Tabuchi, T., Tamaki, Y., Kosaka, K., Takikawa, Y., & Satoh, T. (2009). Carnosic acid and carnosol inhibit adipocyte differentiation in mouse 3T3-L1 cells through induction of phase2 enzymes and activation of glutathione metabolism. Biochemical and biophysical research communications, 382(3), 549-554.

4/11/18

This categorized compilation of research articles does not necessarily imply that there are adequate results to demonstrate safe and/or effective human use. These statements are not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases. The information at this page has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Consult a Doctor before using herbs and essential oils if you have medical conditions, are taking medications, or have questions.