Rosemary Herbal Tea
A savory, piney cup that Europe recognizes for indigestion. What the memory studies really gave people, how to brew it from a sprig or a bag, and who should leave it alone.
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Rosemary tea is a traditional remedy for indigestion and mild stomach cramps, and that's the one use the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recognizes for it. The memory and mood claims you'll see everywhere come from two small studies, and neither of them gave people a mug of tea.
If you want to try it, Buddha Teas rosemary is the easy start, about $8 for 18 bags. If you have a rosemary plant on the windowsill, a sprig and boiling water make the same cup for free.
Expect a woody, piney cup with a savory edge, nearer to a broth than to a fruit tea. It's an herb, not real tea, so there's no caffeine.
What is rosemary tea good for?
Indigestion and a crampy stomach. The EMA lists rosemary leaf as a traditional herbal medicine for "dyspepsia and mild spasmodic disorders of the gastrointestinal tract": that heavy, stuffed feeling after you eat, and the mild cramps that come with it. "Traditional" means people have used it safely for a long time, not that trials proved it. Peppermint and fennel sit in the same group.
Memory and focus. This is the claim that makes rosemary tea popular, and the evidence is thin. In a 2018 trial, 68 university students took 500 mg of rosemary or a placebo twice a day for a month, and the rosemary group scored better on memory questionnaires, with lower anxiety and better sleep quality. Those were capsules. Another 2018 study, at Northumbria University in England, gave 80 adults a single 250 ml bottle of a commercial rosemary water and found "small, beneficial effects" on memory and attention tasks compared with plain water. Neither study proves that a daily cup sharpens your memory, but they're the reason people keep asking.
Antioxidants. Rosemary is rich in carnosic and rosmarinic acids, and WebMD notes their antioxidant and antibacterial effects in lab studies. That's lab work, so I wouldn't drink it for this.
Sore muscles and joints. The EMA does recognize rosemary for minor muscle and joint pain and for minor circulation problems, but as a bath additive, in water at 35 to 38°C for 10 to 20 minutes. Drinking the tea isn't part of that use.
How to make rosemary tea
The EMA's dose for the tea is 1 to 2 grams of dried leaf in 150 to 250 ml of boiling water (about 5 to 8 ounces), two or three times a day.
- Weigh out the dried leaves, 1 to 2 grams for one mug.
- Pour boiling water over them and cover the mug with a saucer so the aroma stays in.
- Steep 5 to 10 minutes. The longer it steeps, the stronger and more resinous it gets.
- Strain and drink it warm. A slice of lemon or a spoon of honey softens the pine taste.
With fresh rosemary, the usual home recipe is one sprig to 2 cups of water in a small saucepan: bring it to a boil, let it simmer 1 to 5 minutes, lift out the sprig and pour. That makes two mugs.
If you use loose leaves, a basket keeps the needles out of your mouth:
Can you put raw rosemary in tea? Yes. A fresh sprig from the garden or the grocery store works as well as dried leaf: rinse it and use it whole, stem and all, since it comes out before you pour. You can also drop a sprig into a cup of black or green tea for a savory twist, but then the cup has caffeine.
For iced rosemary tea, make the saucepan batch, keep the second mug's worth in a closed jar in the fridge, and pour it over ice with lemon later.
Rosemary tea bags or loose leaf?
Bags are the simplest. Buddha Teas rosemary is pure organic rosemary leaf, and Buddha Teas describes the taste as woody with pine-like notes and a hint of mint. Brew one bag the same way as the loose leaves, covered, in a mug of boiling water.
Loose leaf costs less per cup and gives you a stronger brew. Frontier Co-op rosemary leaf comes as whole leaves in a 0.85-ounce jar, about 24 grams, which is 12 to 24 cups at the EMA's dose, and whatever you don't drink goes on roast potatoes.
How much rosemary tea per day, and can you drink it every day?
Up to three cups a day, at 1 to 2 grams of leaf each, is the amount the EMA's traditional use is based on, for a total of 2 to 6 grams a day. For indigestion, the EMA says to see a doctor if your symptoms last more than two weeks.
For a healthy adult, a cup a day as part of the routine is in line with that. The best time is after a meal, since digestion is what it's traditionally used for. It has no caffeine, so it won't keep you up if you drink it in the evening.
Rosemary tea side effects: who should not drink it
The EMA says not to use rosemary leaf medicines:
- If you're pregnant or breastfeeding. Its safety hasn't been established, and WebMD adds that rosemary is known to stimulate menstrual flow.
- For children under 12.
- If you have gallstones, an inflamed gallbladder, a blocked bile duct or any liver disease.
- If you're allergic to rosemary. Allergic reactions are the side effect the EMA lists, including skin rashes.
Cooking with rosemary is fine; this is about drinking it by the cup. If you take medicine every day, it's still worth asking your pharmacist before you start drinking any herbal tea daily.
Other herbal teas for the same job
If the pine taste isn't for you, peppermint and fennel do the same job, and my guide to herbal tea benefits sets out what seven teas do and how solid the proof is for each. For a stomach that feels full and gassy, the boxes worth buying are on the best tea for bloating. And if heartburn is the problem, start with tea for acid reflux, which also says which herbs to avoid.
What you need
- Buddha Teas Organic Rosemary Tea the easiest cup, one bag in boiling water for 5 minutes$7.99 as of 11:15 AM ET
- Frontier Co-op Organic Whole Rosemary Leaf a stronger cup for less, 1 to 2 grams per mug$5.19 as of 11:15 AM ET
- Finum Brewing Basket to brew loose leaves without needles in your mouth$14.09 as of 11:15 AM ET
Common questions
What happens if I drink rosemary tea every day?
Usually nothing bad, at the usual amount of one to three cups. The EMA's traditional use is for indigestion, and if that's why you drink it, it says to see a doctor if symptoms last more than two weeks. Skip it if you're pregnant, breastfeeding, or have gallbladder or liver problems.
Does rosemary tea help with memory?
Maybe a little, but not proven. One trial found better memory scores in students who took rosemary capsules for a month, and another found small gains on memory tasks after a single bottle of rosemary water. No study has looked at a daily cup of rosemary tea.
Is rosemary tea good for hair growth?
Nothing shows that drinking it does. The hair study people quote, a 2015 trial with 100 people with hereditary hair loss, used rosemary oil on the scalp for six months, and it did about as well as 2% minoxidil. That's oil on the skin, not tea in a mug.
Does rosemary tea have caffeine?
No. Rosemary is an herb, not the tea plant, so plain rosemary tea is caffeine-free. Only blends that mix it with black or green tea have caffeine.
What does rosemary tea taste like?
Woody and piney, with a savory edge, like the herb itself. A longer steep makes it more bitter; lemon or honey rounds it off.
