Stimulant rosemary

Many naturally occurring plant extracts are reputed to possess anti-irritant properties and have been recommended for use in cosmetic formulations. These include such diverse mixtures as tea tree oil, borage seed oil, Paraguay tea extract. Kola nut extract, oil of rosemary, and lavender oil. It is, however, difficult to standardize plant extracts and there may be a great deal of lot-to-lot variability in constituents. Understandably, this makes identification and isolation of any specific active constituent complex and laborious. The extracts may be oily or hydrophilic and contain compounds such as a-bisabolol, xanthines, polyphenols, and phytosterols.There is great potential in the use of plant extracts for irritation and sensitization reduction. This has been established within the cosmetic industry, and interest here has stimulated activity into reducing variability by more consistent cultivation techniques and more standardized extraction methods. 

Studies with female CD-I mice with 2% rosemary methanol extract diet increased liver microsomal oxidation and glucuronidation of estradiol and estrone and inhibited uterotropic action (Zhu et al 1998). It is suggested that stimulating certain pathways of estrogen metabolism may be beneficial for the prevention of estrogen-dependent tumors in the target organs of humans and animals. 

Singletary, K.W. 1996. Rosemary extract and carnosol stimulate rat liver glutathione-S-transferase and quinone reductase activities. Cancer Lett. 100 139-144. 

Mace and colleagues have examined the ability of camosol and camosic acid from rosemary as well as the synthetic dithiolethione, oltipraz, to block the formation of DNA adducts, and their effects on the expression of phase I and phase II enzymes. It was found that both rosemary extracts and oltipraz inhibited BaP- or aflatoxin Bi-induced DNA adduct formation by efficiently inhibiting CYP activities and inducing the expression of GST. Treatment of female CD-I mice with a 2% methanol extract of rosemary in AIN-76A diet for 3 weeks increased the liver microsomal 2-hydroxylation of estradiol and estrone by approximately 150%, increased their 6-hydroxylation by approximately 30%, and inhibited the 16a-hydroxylation of estradiol by approximately 50%. The same treatment of rosemary also stimulated the liver microsomal glucuronidation of estradiol and estrone by 54 to 67% and 37 to 56%, respectively. In additional studies, feeding 2% rosemary diet to ovariectomized CD-I mice for 3 weeks inhibited the uterotropic action of estradiol and estrone by 35 to 50% compared with animals fed a control diet. 

Slamenova, D. et al., Rosemary-stimulated reduction of DNA strand breaks and FPG-sensitive sites in mammalian cells treated with H2O2 or visible light-excited methylene blue. Cancer Lett, 111, 145,2002. 

Stimulant oils included jasmine, patchouli, ylangylang, basil, and rosemary active components included fenchone, 1,8 cineole, isoborneol, and orange terpenes (Lis-Balchin, 2006). There was considerable similarity in the sedative and stimulant effects of some essential oils studied physi ologically (e.g., their effect on smooth muscle of the guinea pig in vitro) and in various psychologi cal assessments, mostly on humans (Lis-Balchin, 2006). 

CNS activities have been reported for rosemary. For example, it stimulates the locomotor activity of mice when administered orally or by inhalation, and cineole is believed to be the active principle. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the aerial parts reduced morphine withdrawal in mice while the volatile oil aroma significantly enhanced the quality of memory and cognitive performance in clinically tested human subjects. ... 

Rosemary leaves are used in European phytomedicine for dyspeptic complaints and as supportive therapy for rheumatic diseases externally for circulatory problems in baths, the herb is used as an external stimulant for increased blood supply to the skin. ... 

Singletary, K (1996) Rosemary extract and camosol stimulate rat hver glutathione-S-... 

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