As we age so does our brain, I leave a room searching for something and can’t remember what it was. I have also searched throughout the house for my glasses only to discover they were on the top of my head. In an effort to combat my forgetfulness, I started to play games on my computer and phone, solve word puzzles, and read daily. I also added ginkgo biloba to my daily vitamin and supplement regimen. This combination seemed to help, however after doing some research on the subject, I discovered a study about rosemary improving your memory.

I posted a Blog about foods that help retain memory such as fruits, greens, kale, broccoli, legumes, whole grains, fish rich in Omega 3’s, like salmon, and seeds. However, the correlation between smelling rosemary and brain health was news to me. Rosemary is an herb that grows as a perennial, one planted it will always regrow when the weather is warm.

A native of Asia and the Mediterranean, itis grown in the U.S. as well. It is related to the mint family and its flowers are white, purple, pink, or deep blue. It is used as a spice to flavor stew, soups, meat, chicken and fish and Mediterranean dishes.

A study by researchers in the United Kingdom concluded that smelling rosemary could improve memory. Volunteers for the study were all over the age of 65, and participants were placed in rooms with no scent and in rooms diffused with the smell of rosemary.

Those participants in the rosemary-diffused room performed 15% better on memory tests than those in the no scented rooms. To ensure the smell of the rosemary was the cause researchers collected blood samples. Participants in the rosemary-diffused room had a compound known as 1,8 cineole, present in their blood. This compound had been shown in prior research to be involved in memory process.

Further studies are to be done, but for me the 15% improvement of memory is good enough to burn rosemary oil in my diffuser. Smelling the odor of rosemary helps prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine, a chemical in the brain that is important for healing and memory. Fresh rosemary also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Rosemary may help boost your brain power but before you add it as a supplement to your diet consult with your health provider. It may interact with medications like blood thinners, ACE inhibitors (used to treat high blood pressure), lithium, diuretics, and diabetic medications.

You may want to try burning rosemary oil if you have memory issues, it certainly won’t hurt.

Until next time,

Peace, Love, and Blessings❤️