The medicinal plants are currently part of the sociocultural scenario in several countries, although their use has been described since the Egyptian peoples. Thus, in their most varied forms of use, medicinal plants play a fundamental role in people's lives, besides being used in the prospection of new molecules with biological action, and can be used as new therapeutic routes in disease treatments. Besides the recognition in popular medicine, research indicates that rosemary (Baccharis dracunculifolia) can be an ally for the treatment of numerous diseases due to its biological activities, such as antitumor, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiprotozoal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and analgesic properties. Considering its high pharmacotherapeutic potential, it is important to analyze and compile knowledge about the bioactive compounds of rosemary and its biomedical applications. In this study, a bibliographical survey was carried out in order to collect data and information on the identification and description of the rosemary field bioactives, as well as their biological activities. Thus, some compounds stand out for their actions, such as p-coumaric, caffeic, chrysinic, 3,5-diprenyl-4-hydroxycinnamic, agathic, cuprésic, betuletol, 15-acetoxyisocuprésic, prenylated coumaric, 3,5 and 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acids. These compounds have important biological actions, responsible for promising researches for innumerous treatments of diseases, with potential antitumor effect for several cell lines, promoting alterations in the cellular metabolism, in the respiratory chain, in the distribution and progression of the cell cycle and in the proliferation of tumor cells.