The health benefits of
Rosmarinic acid September
2008
What is Rosmarinic acid?

Rosmarinic acid is an ester of caffeic acid and
3,4-dihydroxyphenyllactic acid. Rosmarinic acid can be
found in some higher plants, some fern and hornwort
species, species of the Boraginaceae and the subfamily
Nepetoideae of the Lamiaceae.

What are the health benefits of Rosmarinic acid?

Petersen M and Simmond Ms at Philipps-Universität
Marburg, Germany, pointed out rosmarinic acid has antiviral,
antibacterial, antiinflammatory and antioxidant. The presence
of rosmarinic acid in medicinal plants, herbs and spices has
beneficial and health promoting effects. In plants, rosmarinic
acid is supposed to act as a preformed constitutively
accumulated defense compound. [1]

Rosmarinic acid may have neural protection effect; in a vitro
study, rosmarinic acid significantly attenuated
H(2)O(2)-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation
and apoptotic cell death (human dopaminergic cell line). [2]
In animal studies, rosmarinic acid (from  Perillae Herba)
showed an antidepressant-like property. [3]

Rosmarinic acid showed anti-viral and anti-inflammatory
activities; it reduced the mortality of mice infected with
Japanese encephalitis virus. [4]

Rosmarinic acid may benefit people with autoimmune
arthritis as it suppressed synovitis in a murine collagen
induced arthritis model. [5]

Reference
[1] Petersen M and Simmond Ms Rosmarinic acid. Phytochemistry. 2003
Jan;62(2):121-5. [2] Lee HJ et al, Rosmarinic acid protects human dopaminergic
neuronal cells against hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis. Toxicology. 2008 Sep
4;250(2-3):109-15. Epub 2008 Jul 4. [3] Ito N et al, Rosmarinic acid from Perillae Herba
produces an antidepressant-like effect in mice through cell proliferation in the
hippocampus. Biol Pharm Bull. 2008 Jul;31(7):1376-80. [4] Antiviral and
anti-inflammatory effects of rosmarinic acid in an experimental murine model of
Japanese encephalitis.
Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2007 Sep;51(9):3367-70. Epub 2007 Jun 18. [5] Youn J
et al, Beneficial effects of rosmarinic acid on suppression of collagen induced arthritis. J
Rheumatol. 2003 Jun;30(6):1203-7.

This article can not be used as medical advice. Please, consult with your
medical doctor for any question or before taking any drug products and
supplements. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED zhion 2008
Discuss with your doctor before taking any alternative medicine. This article is for
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