Sniffing rosemary can actually improve the memory by 75%, as it was proven by a team of scientists. This herb has been used throughout the history for many different purposes and it also has a huge number of health benefits.
One interesting use of rosemary in ancient Greece is that they used to wear rosemary spring during their studying time for the exams.
This extremely beneficial herb has also been commonly used to improve the long-term memory and alertness for millennia. Even Shakespeare wrote about the amazing properties of rosemary in ‘Hamlet’.
The Northumria University in Newcastle conducted a study in 2003, which showed that smelling the rosemary is linked to the improvement of the function of overall quality of the memory and the factors of secondary memory.
The same experts could manage to scientifically explain the cognitive-boosting properties of rosemary after ten years. These scientists studied and observed twenty people while they were doing visual information -processing tasks, and subtraction exercises and many other tasks. They evaluated the mood of the people before the smelling of rosemary an after it and also checked their blood.
This performed study had 66 participants which were separated in two different rooms, one without the rosemary scent and one with rosemary scent.
And the results were unbelievable – the people in the rosemary-scented room had much better memory than the others.
The results also showed 60-75% better memory of the participants from the room with rosemary scent and they remembered thing a lot better than the others, and they also had better percentage on recalling events to completing tasks.
From the blood tests they discovered that the people in the room with rosemary had noticeable levels of 1,8-cineole, which is actually an active compound of rosemary. This showed that the rosemary compound had entered the blood stream and this resulted in showing better results as the levels got higher.
The lead expert in this study was Dr. Mark Moss who said that they haven’t noticed and it wasn’t shown before that this compound could be absorbed in the blood plasma in humans even though they already knew this was an active compound of rosemary.
He also stated that in their opinion that the aroma of rosemary can have therapeutic properties better than any other effects which are result of the properties of the scent to be perceived by the sensors of humans. They also think that the chemicals from the rosemary had a direct influence on the olfactory nerve in the nose, and this triggers a positive reaction in the brain.
Rosemary contains rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid which have the ability to hinder Alzheimer’s disease, improve the health of the brain, stop the growth of cancer cells, hinder beta-amyloid-induced neurodegeneration in the hippocampus and also fight free-radical damage.
Jemma McCready, which was another expert who conducted the study, stated that the participants who smelled the rosemary scent performed better in multi-tasking so they intentionally gave them a huge number of tasks. And their mood and memory did not affect their performance. And the results also showed that the performance of the participants was not a result of the changes in concentration and excitement.
Dr. Mark Moss was extremely pleased and optimistic about the connection of this study to real-life performances, and he also added that their study and they paid attention on the prospective memory, which is actually about the actions that will happen in the future and the human’s ability to perform particular action at the right time.
This type of memory is problematic when it comes to the point that a person has to remember to take a pill at a specific time or just to remember to send a card.
Maybe this can be explained with the fact that plants are very complex and they do have the same active compounds, they actually have more and they can be different in concentration for different plant and even the same plant can contain different concentration during the day.
He also adds that gathering of information about the possible affects that the plant scent and extract could have, can actually help to discover the best blend to get the wanted effects.
Dr. Alan Hirsch, who is the director of the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago, also a participated in conducting this study, also confirmed that the results and the discovery which were found here give a new point of view about the research of the magnificent effects that rosemary gives.
Use of rosemary:
Scientists suggest diffusing a couple of drops with a diffuser of high-quality organic essential oil, if you want to feel the magnificent benefits of rosemary.
You may put a rosemary plant in your house or in your office. For better concentration and constantly sharp brain you can take a tiny cosmetic tin and put a teaspoon of coconut oil and a drop of rosemary and put it in your bag. And whenever you need you can rub the mixture on your wrists.
Sources:
www.healthylifetricks.com