Last updated on September 26th, 2022 at 11:25 am
Herbs serve many functions. Ranging from typical spicing to essential medicine for curing ailments, they are of critical importance to us.
Nonetheless, what makes herbs more effective as medicine is their pH value. So, if you are gardening Rosemary not only for ornamental or culinary purposes but also as a medicinal herb, you might wonder where its pH value lies.
So, is Rosemary acidic or alkaline ? Just as all herbs and spices except for garlic are alkaline, so also is Rosemary by nature. It is a kind of herb that requires just the proper pH level and rejects over-fertilizing.
Is Rosemary an Alkaline Herb?
Rosemary is an alkaline herb. Furthermore, there are so many reasons to believe that Rosemary is an alkaline herb.
From tests scientists carry out to determine its pH to even the functions it serves that are peculiar to alkaline herbs, you can quickly determine whether Rosemary is alkaline.
So, below are some of the reasons why Rosemary is considered alkaline:
1. Microbial action
As a mechanism of microbial action, the activities of Rosemary as an antibacterial have been determined in various assay types based on MIC and MBC.
And many authors have reported the inhibition of microbial growth by Rosemary and presented it as MIC values.
The antibacterial activities of Rosemary in food application have undergone several studies, e.g., meatballs, cooked beef, and pork sausage.
In addition, studies have shown that rosemary oil inhibits the growth of common food bacteria that accelerate food spoilage.
2. Cancer Protection
It has been discovered from oncological research that crude ethanolic rosemary extract slowed the spread of human leukemia and breast carcinoma cells.
Bioscience, biotechnology, and biochemistry researches confirm Rosemary is an agent with anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor effects.
3. Squeeze test
On to more scientific reasons why Rosemary is considered alkaline, the squeeze test is one of the best ways to know the pH of a herb.
It is done by taking a few mature leaves, rolling them into a tight ball, and putting a few drops using a garlic press.
Then using a pH meter (preferably a LAQUA twin pH meter), you can place the moist tissue of the leaves on the sensor of the pH meter and measure.
The clinical application of this study can be very effective in the treatment of muscular degeneration of the eye (outer retina), which seems to be a widespread and significant challenge in the United States.
What pH Is Rosemary?
pH is the measure of the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance. It is essential to know the pH of Rosemary or any food we intend to consume.
This is necessary to ensure that the pH balance in our body is to a level sufficient enough for optimum performance and to ensure good health and wellbeing.
Since a human being is sustained on a cellular level, cells depend on alkaline compounds for proper functioning and living. Therefore, the acidic state at the cellular level will only result in a lack of oxygen.
So, Rosemary itself is alkaline. Furthermore, it has an average pH of 6.1. The alkalinity of Rosemary is also why so many people have it in their kitchen since they use it to balance the pH of their body.
Some other people drink tea made from Rosemary with their meals to aid digestion and balance the acidic contents of foods. Other beneficial attributes of rosemary tea aside from the include as mentioned above:
- It is helpful to heart health
- It assists in weight loss
- Useful in lowering blood sugar.
Do Rosemary like Acid or Alkaline soil?
Rosemary can grow and thrive tremendously well at a pH rate between mildly acidic (6.0) and alkaline (8.5). Some varieties grow best in loamy soil that is well-drained and slightly acidic, yet other types can tolerate an even lower pH.
To achieve the best yield in cultivating Rosemary, one needs the following;
- Well-drained soil with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5.
- In outdoor cultivation, avoid heavy and wet areas.
- You should avoid very high nutrient soil because this may reduce the quality of the herbs by boosting rapid, lush growth that brings about a low quantity of essential oil that is responsible for the characteristic aroma or flavor of Rosemary.
- Containers for indoor herbs should have holes under them for drainage of water and aeration.
- Fertilization should be carried out in moderation.
If there appears a situation in which the soil for Rosemary is poor and needs adjustment, it is imperative to add limestone or wood ash when acidity is too high. And when it is too alkaline, you can add sulfur to increase its acidity.
Conclusion
In summary, I hope I have clarified that Rosemary, although used for medicinal, cosmetic, and culinary purposes. It is alkaline in its very nature.
I have been able to see how Rosemary proves to be an alkaline herb from the manner it performs its work and how it aids in carrying out body functions as antioxidants or its microbial action.
The PH of Rosemary we have seen to be alkaline and have a strong negative PRAL that tells us its essentiality to the human body, and well it should go to balancing our food intake.
Finally, we have also considered how Rosemary thrives in various kinds of soil but does tremendously well in the alkaline soil of 6.0 to 8.5. And we now know the best way to cultivate this herb to gain the best yield and treat and adjust PH deficient soil.
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