Rosmarinus officinalis leaves water extract

Abstract

Herbal medicine is a very popular complementary therapy based on its relative safety, effectiveness, accessibility and inexpensiveness. Rosmarinus officinalis, family Lamiaceae, is an evergreen, perennial shrub copious in woodland, rocky sites in the Mediterranean region. The present study investigates the potential role of Rosmarinus officinalis leaves water extract in lipemia, inflammation and gastric ulcer in the rat model. Antibacterial activity was also assessed on several hospital isolates. After one month of extract intake via drinking water (100, 200 and 500mg/kg body weight) the blood lipid profile and liver function were not affected. Doses of 50,100, 250 and 500mg/kg body weight were used in acute and chronic inflammation models induced by carrageenan and formalin respectively [1]. The anti-inflammatory activity was significant at all doses used, with optimum doses of 250 (61% inhibition) and 500mg/kg body weight (45% inhibition) for acute and chronic inflammation models respectively. Similar doses were also used in the detection of anti-ulcerogenic potential of the extract [2]. Results showed a dose dependent protection ranging between 27% (50mg/kg body weight) and 71% (500mg/kg body weight). The antibacterial effect against 11 hospital bacterial isolates using disk diffusion technique (200, 100, 50, 20 and 10µg extract) showed no potentials in this respect. In conclusion, Rosmarinus officinalis leaves water extract showed no liver toxicity, and exhibited a positive effect on ulcer and inflammation with a neutral effect on lipemia.