Abstract: In recent years, rosemary had attracted much attention due to its physiological functions including antioxidant, antibacterial and etc. The physiological functions and corresponding mechanisms of rosemary and its applications into food, medical and other industries had become one of hot research areas. The main chemical compositions of rosemary and focuses on introducing its physiological functions including antioxidant, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging and antidepressant were reviewed. The applications of rosemary in meat products, grease, seafood and food flavor are also summarized. This review aimed to provide some reference for studies of rosemary.