FocusHerb
Rosemary is often used as a spice in food, including soups, stews, meat, chicken, and fish. In ancient Greece and Rome rosemary was
believed to strengthen the memory and there is now some scientific research to support that belief.
A 2012 study by Pengelly et al found
that a lower dose (750mg) provided a statistically significant benefit to memory (a very high dose 6000mg had a negative effect).
The research was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, repeated-measures crossover study, conducted to investigate possible
acute effects of dried rosemary leaf powder on cognitive performance
A 2012 study by Moss and Oliver looked at the aromatherapy benefits
of rosemary essential oil. In this study, twenty healthy volunteers performed serial subtraction and visual information processing
tasks in a cubicle diffused with the aroma of rosemary. The researchers found that performance on cognitive tasks is significantly
related to the concentration of rosemary aroma, with improved performance at higher concentrations. In 2017 the results were replicated
in classroom conditions with children in rosemary scented classrooms performing better than those without scent
Moss et al 2018 went
on to investigate if the benefits found from aromatherapy would also be found from drinking Rosemary water. The results revealed a
number of statistically significant, small, beneficial effects of rosemary water on cognition, consistent with those found previously
for the inhalation of the aroma of rosemary essential oil.