This aromatic herb, a usual presence in the Mediterranean diet, has raised academic interest since several studies have suggested connections between their perfume and cognitive functions such as memory. British teams have investigated how volatile compounds released by the plant, either by the diffusion of essential oil in a closed space and by the smoke resulting from the burning of dry branches, a practice traditionally used to improve mental clarity and remembrance, according to modern ethnobotanical guides, can influence the ability to remember future tasks, a phenomenon known as prospective memory.
This is rosemary. According to the Diário do Litoral, participants exposed to the aroma of their essential oil have obtained better results in prospective memory tests than a group that has inlaid neutral air.
The rehearsal, held at the University of Northumbria, involved sixty -six adult volunteers. An independent verification of the British Full Fact organization, supported by statements by researcher Mark Moss, corrected the value released by the media: the average improvement was around 7%, not in the 75% initially cited.
Experimental design
According to Northumbria’s team, each volunteer remained five minutes in a room where a diffuser had previously released four drops of essential oil from this plant. Then he executed evidence that required to remember instructions after a break. The control group performed identical tasks in a perceptible odor division.
Quantitative results and biochemical mechanisms
Participants exposed to the perfume performed better performance in event tasks, such as “delivering an object when hearing a signal” and time, such as “taping a button at fifteen hours”. No changes in mood or warning state have been observed, which points to a specific mechanism linked to compounds of the plant.
Blood analyzes revealed higher concentrations of 1,8-cineol, a terpene associated with memories consolidation.
Debate on the magnitude of the gain
The 75% figure popularized in the press, but Full Fact has classified it as unfounded, clarifying that the real gain surrounds the 7% and that higher values arise only in specific measures.
Implications for future investigations
In a later statement, the University of Northumbria announced new tests with larger samples, different ages and times of exposure, to validate the consistency of effects and define safe dose and duration parameters.
It is also under study the isolation of 1.8-cineol to verify if the compound alone reproduces the gains observed with full oil.
Possible clinical applications
Investigators mentioned by the point that non -invasive interventions based on aromatic stimuli may be useful for elderly populations or for people with memory deficits associated with clinical conditions, as long as future tests confirm the effectiveness and safety of the approach.
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