Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

What is Rosemary?

Plants have ingenious ways of spreading their seeds around the world.

One of the most successful is the rosemary shrub.

The desirable flavor, and useful medicinal qualities of rosemary have enticed humans to carry its seeds along with them from Europe as they spread to all corners of the earth.

The majority of rosemary around the world is used for its desirable culinary quality, however, there are plenty of good medicinal uses of the plant as well.

It's used primarily as a nervine, circulatory stimulant, and digestive.

It stimulates blood flow to the body and the brain and has the benefits of promoting mental clarity, and moving other herbs deeper into the peripheral blood system.

The volatile oils contained in its leaves stimulate digestion and soothe upset stomachs.

Here's everything I know about rosemary.

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How Is Rosemary Used?

Rosemary is popular in cooking. It's used medicinally to increase blood flow to the brain, reduce nerve pain, and improve digestion. The essential oil is used topically to promote blood flow and stimulate the hair follicles involved with premature balding.

Herb Details: Rosemary

Herbal Actions:

• Antidepressant
• Antimicrobial
• Antispasmodic
• Emmenagogue
• Nervine Stimulant
• Nootropic
• Rubefacient
• Carminative

Weekly Dose

• (1:2 Liquid Extract)
  15-30 mL
• View Dosage Chart

Part Used

• Leaf & twigs

Family Name

• Lamiaceae

Distribution

• Originally from Mediterranean, but has since spread all over the world.

Constituents of Interest

• Volatile oil (borneol, camphene, camphor, linalool)
• Apigenin
• Rosmarinic acid
• Carnosol & Carnosolic acid
• Rosmaricine

Common Names

• Rosemary
• Roosmaryn (Afrikaans)
• Rozmarinë (Albania)
• Ikleel al-Jabal (Arabic)
• Rozmarin (Bulgaria)
• Romarin (France/Germany)
• Mannenro (Japan)
• Alecrim (Portugal)
• Mi Die Xiang (China)

CYP450

• CYP1A2
• CYP3A4
• CYP2C9
• Also P-gp

Quality

• Warm, Acrid

Pregnancy

• Caution advised during pregnancy.

Taste

• Sweet, Acrid, Slightly Bitter

Duration of Use

• Long term use is acceptable.

Botanical Info:

Rosemary is a member of the mint family, which is one of the largest plant families. It contains roughly 236 different genera, and 6900-7200 different species.

The Rosmarinus genus contains 4 different species, the one most commonly used as medicine is Rosmarinus officinalis, though the other species also have some use in the regions in which it grows.

It's hardy to colder climates, but grows primarily in the Mediterranean. It's also highly drought-resistant, and can survive without water for very long periods of time.

Clinical Applications of Rosemary

Rosemary is most useful as a circulatory stimulant, nervine stimulant, carminative and digestive.

It's used to treat cognitive conditions involving poor blood flow like Alzheimer's disease, syncope, and headaches. it's also used as a nootropic and for increasing blood flow to the follicles of the hair to support hair growth. The essential oil is especially useful here for addressing symptoms of premature balding. It's also an excellent nervine used for conditions like neuralgia, sciatica, and depression when associated with debility or concussion.

Its digestive properties make it useful for addressing flatulence, indigestion, dyspepsia, and recovery from intestinal tract infection.

Cautions:

Avoid using therapeutic doses of rosemary while pregnant. This doesn’t include small doses of rosemary used in cooking.

Author:

Justin Cooke

The Sunlight Experiment

(Updated November 2018)

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Magnolia (Magnolia officinalis)

What is Magnolia?

Magnolia is one of the oldest flowering plants in existence, dating back as far as 95 million years ago. The first angiosperm is thought to have originated 130 million years ago. this is long before bees first appeared. To no surprise then, magnolia have evolved to be pollinated by beetles instead, which have been around for much longer.

Magnolia is a common herb in traditional Chinese medicine for treating Qi stagnation and removing obstructions.

It remains popular for reducing sinus infection and congestion, sinus headaches, asthma, coughs, and catarrh as well as anxiety and heightened cortisol levels.

+ Indications

• Abdominal pain
• Alzheimer's Disease
• Amoebic dysentery
• Anxiety
• Asthma
• Bloating
• Catarrh
• Coughs
• Diarrhea
• Gas
• Gastroenteritis
• Menstrual cramps
• Nausea/vomiting
• Poor appetite
• Poor digestion
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Rhinitis
• Sinus infection
• Stress
• Typhoid
• Ulcers
  

+ Contraindications

Avoid use during convalescence.

How Is Magnolia Used?

Magnolia is used for its anxiolytic and digestive effects.It's often combined with Phellodendron for treating both acute and chronic stress.

Magnolia is also commonly used for upper respiratory tract infection, sinus congestion, and catarrh.

Herb Details: Magnolia

Herbal Actions:

• Antioxidant
• Antiallergic
• Antiasthmatic
• Anxiolytic
• Antibacterial
• Antifungal
• Antispasmodic
• Aphrodisiac
• Emmenagogue
• Expectorant

Weekly Dose

• (1:2 Liquid Extract)
  15-100 mL
• View Dosage Chart

Part Used

• Bark

Family Name

• Magnoliaceae

Distribution

• Eastern Asia, North America, Central America

Constituents of Interest

• Honokiol
• Magnolol

Common Names

• Magnolia
• Ch'Uan Pu (China)
• Chinese Magnolia
• Choon Pok
• Hou Pu

Quality

• Warm

Pregnancy

• Unknown

Taste

• Bitter

Duration of Use

• Long term use acceptable, but should be monitored by a professional.

Botanical Information

Magnolia officinalis is a medium sized tree, ranging from 5 to 15 m in height. It's deciduous, with purple brown bark.

Magnolia is a member of the Magnoliaceae family of plants. There are 2 subfamilies in this family, including Magnollioideae and Liriodendroideae. The latter of which only includes Liriodendron (Tulip trees). In The Magnoliaceae family there are approximately 219 species, distributed into 17 genera. The vast majority are included in the Magnolia genus, which has about 210 different species.

One interesting note is that it appears magnolia appeared before bees did. The flowers are instead evolved to be pollinated by beetles, due to the extremely tough carpels on the flower. There have also been fossils discovered with plants contained in the Magnoliaceae family as far back as 95 million years ago, making Magnolia one of the oldest remaining angiosperms.

Clinical Applications Of Magnolia:

Magnolia increases the activity of GABA receptors, as well as the muscarinic receptors. This is why Magnolia is useful for both its sedative effect, as well as some mild stimulating effects. While most anxiolytic herbs have a particular effect on the parasympathetic nervous system (through GABAergic effects), Magnolia also increases the activity of the sympathetic nervous system through the muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in a similar way to GABA.

Magnolia is especially useful for eliminating nasal congestion, sinus infections, coughs, and catarrh. It's used to improve indigestion and dysentery, though it is not commonly used for bacterial or fungal infections alone.

Magnolia is also used for reducing symptoms of stress and anxiety. It can reduce cortisol levels in stressed individuals, especially in combination with Phellodendron. Its primary actions for this involves GABAergic activities, and have been shown to lower salivary cortisol levels in stressed individuals.

Magnolia should be avoided in those who are chronically fatigued, or who are suffering from convalescence. Traditional Chinese medicine suggests that magnolia should be avoided with any condition involving yin deficiency.

Author:

Justin Cooke, BHSc

The Sunlight Experiment

(Updated November 2018)

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