Ruzmarin

Botany

The leaves are green above and white below, with dense, short, woolly hair. In temperate climates the plant flowers in spring and summer, and the flowers are white, pink, purple, or deep blue. The upright forms can reach between 1.2 and 1.8 meters tall. The plant can live as long as 35 years. Rosemary has a fibrous root system. The branches are dotted with groups of 2 to 3 flowers down their length. Salvia jordanii, formerly Rosmarinus eriocalyx, is a closely related species native to Iberia and the Maghreb.

Linnaeus first described the species in 1753 as Rosmarinus officinalis. In 2017, on the basis of molecular phylogenetic evidence, rosemary was reclassified into Salvia.

Chemistry

Rosemary oils contain 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, verbenone, camphor and borneol, but the compositions can vary widely. The main aroma compounds of the oil are 1,8-cineole and camphor. The oil contains 10-20% camphor. 1,8-Cineole has the formula C₁₀H₁₈O and a molecular weight of 154.25.

The oil is mainly composed of oxygenated compounds (77-79%), with monoterpene hydrocarbons at 21-22% and sesquiterpenes at 0.5-0.6%. The oxygenated compounds are mainly ethers (about 60%), ketones (22-24%) and alcohols (15-17%). The ethers are constituted almost entirely of 1,8-cineole.

Chemotypes

At least 13 different rosemary oil chemotypes have been identified, based on the relative percentages of α-pinene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, borneol, verbenone, and bornyl acetate. On the basis of the relative concentrations of the major components, at least five separate chemotypes can be defined. One chemotype is dominated by α-pinene, another by 1,8-cineole, and another by verbenone, which is the verbenoniferum chemotype. α-Pinene and 1,8-cineole generally dominate the essential oil compositions, but camphor, verbenone, camphene and myrcene may also appear in high concentrations.

Oils collected in Alabama (USA), Western Cape (South Africa), Victoria (Australia), Kenya, Nepal and Yemen have been characterized. In all six samples α-pinene (13.5-38.1%) and 1,8-cineole (16.3-29.4%) dominated the oil. The enantiomeric distributions of monoterpenoids in rosemary oils seem to remain relatively constant regardless of environmental factors.

Other uses

Rosemary has long been used in traditional medicine for a variety of conditions. Rosemary extract, specifically the type mainly consisting of carnosic acid and carnosol, is approved as a food preservative in several countries, having E number E392. Rosemary leaves are used as a flavoring in foods, such as stews, stuffing, roasted meats, and marinades. Herbal tea can be made from the leaves. In some cooking, the woody stem, stripped of its leaves, is used as a skewer.

History

Rosemary was considered sacred to ancient Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks. Pliny the Elder and the ancient Greek botanist Pedanius Dioscorides wrote about it. Several Shakespeare plays refer to the use of rosemary in burial or memorial rites.

Later formulations of Hungary water contain wine, lavender, mint, sage, marjoram, costus, orange blossom and lemon. By the 18th century, French Hungary water from Montpellier was being touted over other variations of Hungary water, because of the quality of the rosemary used in the distillation.