OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH ROSEMARY

III. OTHER HEALTH BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH ROSEMARY

A. Diruetic Effects Herbal remedies are widely used in the pharmacopoeia. Among them,

rosemary extracts are recommended for urinary ailments. An experimental study in rats demonstrated a diuretic effect after 5–6 days of oral adminis- tration of an aqueous extracts of R. officinalis L. by measuring changes in urinary volume and electrolyte excretion (64).

B. Hepatoprotective Effects An essential oil and ethanolic extract from R. officinalis L. showed hepato-

protective effects in rats treated with carbon tetrachloride (65). R. tomentosus is a vegetal species closely related to the culinary rosemary R. officinalis. A dried ethanol extract of the aerial parts of R. tomentosus and its major fraction separated by column chromatography showed antihepatotoxic activity in rats with acute liver damage but the active compounds were not identified (66).

C. Cosmetic Benefits Dietary antioxidants such as vitamin C, vitamin E, and h-carotene show a

potential to combat the oxidative processes involved in skin ageing (67). An alcoholic extract of rosemary leaves, Rosm1, with strong antioxidant prop- erties was shown to inhibit oxidative alterations to skin surface lipids (68) and to attenuate oxidative-stress-induced modifications in heat shock protein expression and modification in cellular thiol and carbonyl content in human skin fibroblasts (69). Carnosic acid (1–3 AM), like vitamin E, showed photo- protective effects against ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation in human skin fibroblasts by suppressing the UVA-induced rise in metalloproteinase-1 mRNA expression (70). Taken together, these results suggest a potentially interesting application of rosemary extract, or its components, in cosmetic dermatology.

IV. POTENTIAL ADVERSE EFFECTS Very few studies have addressed the question of adverse effects of consuming

high quantities of spice extracts or polyphenolic antioxidants. Since one of the postulated mechanisms of antioxidant action is chelation of pro-oxidant metals such as iron, a recent human study examined the effect of polypheno- lic-rich green tea and rosemary extracts on the absorption of nonheme iron (71). It was found that green tea and rosemary extracts added to foods decreased absorption of nonheme iron by around 20%, indicating that indeed

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iron was chelated by the extracts. Therefore, caution is required in dealing with iron-deficient populations.

A study was carried out investigating the embryotoxic effects of rosemary extract in pregnant rats (72). Twenty-six milligrams of a 30% (w/ v) R. officinalis aqueous extract was administered by gavage during two different periods of Wistar rat pregnancy. No effects of rosemary extract were observed on postimplantation loss or fetus anomalies but a slight, though not significant, increase in preimplantation loss was observed. The authors conclude that this finding might explain the use of the plant aqueous extract as an abortive in Brazilian folk medicine, but further studies using higher doses would be required to demonstrate a significant effect.

V. CLINICAL EFFICACY TRIALS Until now, no human efficacy trials have been performed with rosemary

extracts and no detailed pharmacokinetic data exist. Therefore, there is a clear need to perform clinical studies addressing the uptake and metabolism of rosemary components and their efficacy on biomarkers of human health. Studies in animals suggest a problem of bioavailability of individual compo- nents of rosemary extracts when given orally. For example, although dietary administration of rosemary extract enhanced the activity of Phase II enzymes in the rat, carnosol exhibited this effect only when given intraperitoneally (36,43). Similarly, an aqueous extract of rosemary, but neither carnosic acid nor rosmarinic acid, stimulated Phase II enzymes in the rat possibly owing to

a problem of absorption of the individual components (20). Rosemary extract provides a natural mixture of bioactive components that may turn out to be more effective than single components, especially when delivered in foods. Therefore, it will be important to investigate the bioavailability of single rosemary components compared to whole extracts or even the leaves them- selves and to determine the active dose for health benefits.

VI. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES Rosemary extracts and their polyphenolic components may have an appli-

cation in the food industry that exceeds that of traditional flavoring and stabilizing agents. Their potential impact on human health is now a challeng- ing concept for the development of natural, healthy foods. Although spices have been used in cooking and flavoring for centuries, they have not been consumed in the higher quantities used in the experimental studies summa- rized here. Therefore, before any health claims can be made, it is necessary to carry out safety and efficacy trials and to determine the active dose. Efficacy, safety, and regulatory issues are linked to composition of the complex plant

Rosemary 465

extracts and their pleiotrophic effects. Clearly, the success of human efficacy trials will depend on the availability of a valid biomarker approach as indicator of improved health or reduced disease status. In conclusion, although rosemary has many interesting flavoring, food-stabilizing, and therapeutic properties, no health claims can be made until efficacy has been demonstrated in clinical trials.

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