14 DAY TRIAL // A recent investigation into rosemary's effect on people has shown that the essential oil which can be extracted from this plant has the ability to boost people's memory.
Despite the fact that the scent of rosemary appears to be of little benefit as far as short-term memory is concerned, the researchers who investigated this plant's properties argue that an individual's long-term memory has quite a lot to gain should they take up the habit of sniffing this herb.
More precisely, it is being said that those who are exposed to the scent of rosemary on a fairly regular basis should expect to experience a 60-75% increase in the efficiency of their long-term memory. Daily Mail explains that the long-term memory aided by the essential oil found in rosemary is not that in charge of keeping track of past events, but that dealing with future situations.
As explained by Dr. Mark Moss, a psychologist currently working with the Northumbria University, Newcastle, “In this study we focused on prospective memory, which involves the ability to remember events that will occur in the future and to remember to complete tasks at particular times.”
“This is critical for everyday functioning, for example when someone needs to remember to post a birthday card or to take medication at a particular time,” Dr. Mark Moss further elaborated on the matter at hand.
These conclusions concerning rosemary's effect on the prospective memory of people were reached after a total of 66 volunteers were split into two groups and asked to perform various tasks while sitting in a rosemary-scented or a non-scented room, respectively.
The people who agreed to take part in this investigation were all healthy adults.
Once these volunteers were also subjected to blood tests, it was discovered that the ones who had had the opportunity to sniff rosemary essential oil had higher concentrations of a chemical compound known as 1,8-cineole in their systems.
Since said compound is known to influence the biochemical systems that underpin memory, the researchers concluded that rosemary does in fact have a notable effect on people's prospective memory.
“Remembering when and where to go and for what reasons underpins everything we do, and we all suffer minor failings that can be frustrating and sometimes dangerous.”
“Further research is needed to investigate if this treatment is useful for older adults who have experienced memory decline,” researcher Jemma McCready wished to emphasize.