ABSTRACT
Diterpenes have diverse functional roles in plants, acting as hormones (gibberellins), photosynthetic pigments (phytol) and regulators of wound-induced responses (abietic acid) (Hanson, 1995; McGarvey and Croteau, 1995). The presence of phenolic abietane diterpenes, also known as “phenolic diterpenes” has been reported so far only for
Rosmarinus officinalis
and some species of the genus
Salvia
. In addition, the presence of carnosol in
Lepechinia hastata
was reported by Dimayuga et al. (1991). Several species of
Salvia
and subspecies
R. officinalis
belong since antiquity to the most popular medical plants. Many indications for the therapeutical use were given in the literature of the old Greeks and Romans and in the literature of the Middle Ages (e.g., Hildegard von Bingen). The Latin name of sage stems from the words
salvare
= cure and
officinalis
= pharmacy/chemist’s. Extracts of
R. officinalis
have been used in folk medicine as a diuretic, an emenagogue, and an antispasmodic. Its aqueous extracts do not present toxicity to humans, but they present abortive
effects. Experiments with Wistar rats suggest that rosemary extracts may present an anti-implantation effect, but the effect compared to the control group was not significant. Rosemary extract did not interfere with the normal development of the embryo after implantation (Lemonica et al., 1996).
