Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.): extraction techniques, analytical methods and health-promoting biological effects

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) of the Lamiaceae family represents an evergreen medicinal plant with various health-promoting pharmacological effects. This paper provides a complete overview of diverse biological activities of rosemary extracts, essential oils as well as their numerous bioactive compounds, ranging from antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial over cognitive enhancing to their anticarcinogenic effects. In addition, state of the art extraction, distillation, fractionation, and characterization techniques for obtaining high-quality rosemary extracts and essential oils as well as methods for determining their antioxidative, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic potentials are also presented. Finally, new ideas for future computational studies on chemical reactivities and binding affinities of health-promoting rosemary compounds together with suggestions for their improved bioavailability through diverse encapsulation techniques are introduced.