Rosemary or Rosmarinus officinalis is a woody herb, part of the mint family Lamiaceae. The leaves are used as a flavoring in foods such as stuffings and roast lamb, pork, chicken, and turkey, especially during holiday cooking like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Along with its fantastic decoration and distinct taste, rosemary also has medicinal uses.

Here are the 7 health benefits of rosemary.

1.     Rosemary may help your brain power.

Rosemary oil might improve your brain’s speed and accuracy because of a chemical compound called carnosic acid.

2.     Rosemary may help fight Alzheimer’s disease.

Carnosic acid, a component found in rosemary, may help protect the brain against beta-amyloid-induced brain degeneration in the hippocampus, an area of the brain known for memory.

3.     Rosemary may assist the brain to reduce aging speed.

A study published in Neuroscience Letters suggests that rosemary helps prevent brain by protecting neurons from oxidative stress and excitotoxicity, excessive activation of the point or cell death.

4.     Rosemary may fight against cancer.

Studies have shown rosemary extract to have anti-proliferative effects on human leukemia and breast cancer cells.

5.     Rosemary may have anti-inflammatory effects.

According to a study found in Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry, rosemary can be considered an herbal anti-inflammatory.

6.     Rosemary may protect against macular degeneration.

According to a study published in the Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, carnosic acid, an essential component in rosemary, protects retinas from degeneration and toxicity in cell culture and rodent models of light-induced retinal damage.

7.     Rosemary can help your cooking with meat.

A study published in the International Journal of Cancer concluded that rosemary cooked with meat might inhibit heterocyclic amines, which handle cancers when cooking meat and fish at high temperatures.