People who are looking for a natural alternative for promoting hair growth might want to give a common garden herb a try. Rosemary is a long-standing folk medicine remedy for hair loss. It is generally safe to use for most people, but there are a few exceptions to who should use this herb, which gets its name from the Latin term rosmarinus, which means sea dew.
Benefits
Rosemary is prized for more than its long tradition of use to stimulate hair growth, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. It is also traditionally used to treat indigestion, increase menstrual flow, support circulatory and nervous systems, relieve muscle pain, improve memory, and alleviate muscle spasms.
Expert Insight
While folk advice on using rosemary as a hair growth aid abounds, there are no reliable studies to support rosemary as a hair growth stimulant. One oft-cited study published in the November, 1998 journal "Archives of Dermatology" does exist. It regards use of rosemary to treat people with alopecia areata, a disease in which people lose hair in patches. However, University of Maryland Medical Center information depicts this study as "not well designed," and notes that it is not possible to say whether hair growth among the 86 study participants was due to rosemary. Some participants massaged their scalps with rosemary as well as lavender, cedarwood and thyme oils each day for seven months. Subjects who used the essential oils had significant hair re-growth compared to participants who massaged scalps with no essential oils.
Properties
There are two important constituents of rosemary--caffeic acid and its derivative rosmarinic acid, according to "Indian Journal of Experimental Biology". Rosmarinic and caffeic acids provide antioxidant effects. Rosmarinic acid is well absorbed by humans, both from the skin and the gastrointestinal tract. Rosmarinic acid also can be found in other plants, including hornworts, in some ferns and in some flowering plants.
Identification
Rosemary is native to the Mediterranean area and it thrives in warm climates. Rosemary is an evergreen shrub that is commonly grown as a garden herb. The shrub can get as tall as 6.5 feet. It has long, needle-like leaves. These are dark green on top and pale green underneath. Rosemary also has petite pale blue flowers. Both the leaves and parts of rosemary's flowers can be used for their volatile oil.
Use
People who seek to stimulate hair growth with rosemary essential oil need to mix it with base oil, advise the experts at the University of Maryland Medical Center. To do this, a person needs a 6 to 10 percent essential oil. Two drops of the rosemary oil are mixed in 1 tbsp. base oil.
Considerations
Rosemary essential oil can be toxic, so should never be ingested. People also need to avoid contact with eyes and open wounds. The herb rosemary, in contrast, is generally considered safe to ingest when recommended dosage such as the amount generally used for cooking is followed, but can cause allergic reactions. Ingesting large quantities of rosemary can lead to serious side effects, such as miscarriage, vomiting, spasms, fluid in the lungs or a coma. Those who have Crohn's disease, high blood pressure, ulcers or ulcerative colitis should not take rosemary, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. People who take blood-thinning drugs, including aspirin, ACE inhibitors used for high blood pressure, diuretics, lithium and drugs taken to control diabetes also should not take rosemary due to drug interactions.
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