The
Lamiaceae family is a rich source of large amounts of phenolic acids, so it is
revealed to be a potential source of natural antioxidant. Rosemary (family Lamiaceae)
is a spice and medicinal herb which is widely used around the world.
Several
studies have found some beneficial effects for rosemary leaves such as
anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, cytoprotective, anti-tumoral, (1) antidepressant,
diuretic, antinociceptive and antiulcerogenic (2) effects. Rosemary contains
numerous compounds including diterpenes, triterpenes, flavones and steroids. (1)
Rosemary
has traditional reputations that justify investigation for a potential role in
reducing widespread cognitive decline in the elderly. In 2012, a randomized,
placebo-controlled, double-blinded, crossover study was conducted to
investigate possible acute effects of dried rosemary leaf powder on cognitive
performance and the results were published in Journal of Medicinal Food.
28
older adults (mean age, 75 years) were tested using the Cognitive Drug Research
computerized assessment system 1, 2.5, 4, and 6 hours following a placebo and
four different doses of rosemary (750, 1500, 3000, 6000 mg, orally) and there
was a 7-day washout between visits. There was a biphasic dose-dependent effect
in measures of speed of memory: the lowest dose (750 mg) of rosemary had a
statistically significant beneficial effect compared with placebo, whereas the
highest dose (6,000 mg) had a significant impairing effect.
Speed
of memory is a potentially useful predictor of cognitive function during aging.
(3)
In
2017, the effects of essential oil of rosemary on the human short-term image
and numerical memory have been described. The study involved 53 secondary
school students (24 boys and 29 girls) aged 13–15 years, residents of the
Ukrainian metropolis.
Participants
were divided into the control group and “Rosemary” group, in which the rosemary
essential oil was sprayed. The essential oil of rosemary has significantly
increased the image memory compared to the control. Inhalation of the rosemary
essential oil increased the memorization of numbers as well. The results were
published in Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences. (4)
Also
effect of rosemary on memory was examined in animal models. In 2012 the effects
of the hydroalcoholic extract of rosemary on the memory of male mice was
investigated. The behavioral tasks employed were social recognition (SR, a part
of psychology science), the Morris water maze (MWM, a behavioral procedure
mostly used with rodents) and an inhibitory avoidance task (IA, a commonly used
behavioral task to investigate learning and memory processes in rodents).
This
study showed that, the hydro-alcoholic extract of R. officinalis at
150 and 300 mg/kg modulated the short- and long-term memories of mice, in a
social recognition and inhibitory avoidance task, respectively. This modulator
effect was shown to improve learning and memory processes. (2)
Rosemary
is one of the oldest known medicinal herbs. Both the leaves and flowers have
been used medicinally for thousands of years to improve memory. During the middle
Ages, rosemary was considered a symbol of friendship,
loyalty, and remembrance that was used at weddings and funerals. (5)
1-
Rasoolijazi, H., Mehdizadeh, M., Soleimani, M.,
Nikbakhte, F., Eslami Farsani, M., & Ababzadeh, Sh. (2015). The Effect of
Rosemary Extract on Spatial Memory, Learning and Antioxidant Enzymes Activities
in the Hippocampus of Middle-Aged Rats. Medical Journal of the Islamic Republic
of Iran, 29, 187. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4431423/
2-
Zanella, C.A., Treichel, H., Cansian, R.L., &
Roman, S.S. (2012). The Effects of Acute Administration of the Hydroalcoholic
Extract of Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) (Lamiaceae) in Animal Models of
Memory. Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 48(3), On-line version
ISSN 2175-9790. Retrieved from http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S1984-82502012000300005&script=sci_arttext&tlng=pt
3-
Pengelly, A., Snow, J., Y. Mills, S., Scholey, A.,
Wesnes, K., & Butler, L.R. (2012). Short-Term Study on the Effects of
Rosemary on Cognitive Function in an Elderly Population. Journal of Medicinal
Food, 15(1), 10-17. Retrieved from http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/jmf.2011.0005?src=recsys
4- Filiptsova , O.V.,
Gazzavi-Rogozina, L.V., Timoshyna, I.A., Naboka, O.I., Dyomina, Y.V., &
Ochkur, A.V. (2017).The Essential Oil of Rosemary and its Effect on the Human
Image and Numerical Short-Term Memory. Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied
Sciences, 4(2), 107-111. Retrieved from http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2314808X16301890
5-
Simon, A. (2015, October 28). Mprove Your Memory
with Rosemary: The Herb of Remembrance. reset.me. Retrieved from
http://reset.me/story/improve-your-memory-with-rosemary-the-herb-of-remembrance/