Rosemary Essential Oil Boosts Memory in Seniors

“That’s rosemary, that’s for rememberance’ (Hamlet 4.5.174-175).

This intriguing study focussed on prospective memory: the ability to remember to do things in the future, like to make a phone call or take a pill. It tested whether rosemary or lavender essential oils could improve prospective memory. . . .

The researchers diffused either rosemary essential oil, lavender essential oil or nothing in a room. 150 people over the age of sixty-five went into one of the three rooms. Once in the room, their prospective memory was tested by performing tasks like remembering to pass on a message. The tests asked the people either to do something at a specific time or to do something due to an environmental cue, like mailing a letter when you see a mail box.

The people in the room with the rosemary scent experienced improvements in prospective memory by a significant 15% compared to the control room with no scent. The rosemary significantly increased alertness, while the lavender significantly increased calmness and contentedness compared to the control room.

Presented at the British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference April 27, 2016

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