The herb rosemary has played a major culinary role in Mediterranean cultures and at least a modest medicinal role among early Greek physicians and writers. Both used and recommended rosemary for its memory and stimulating properties, as well as for blood purification and detoxification. While these early uses of the herb Rosmarinus officinalis could be looked at as folk medicine or interesting anecdotal stories, research within the last several years alone has produced over 40 peer-reviewed papers that have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in mammalian models with the consumption of rosemary or one of its primary phytonutrients.
Overall, there is an amazing amount of growing evidence for increasing the role of this herb in our diet.