Rosemary, appreciated since antiquity, reveals new secrets. There are many indications that the concentration of one of the compounds in the blood improves mental abilities – we read in “Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology”.
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is one of the earliest plants used in medicine. Folk medicine enthusiasts appreciate the valuable essential oils contained in it. To this day, however, it is not known exactly how it affects the human body.
Mark Moss and Lorraine Oliver from Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research Center at Northumbria University in the UK dispel some of the ambiguities. They experimented with one of the properties of the compound rosemary, 1,8-cineole.
Researchers examined 20 people’s mental performance and mood. Volunteers treated the scent of rosemary to varying concentrations. The amount of 1,8-cineol released into their bodies was assessed on the basis of blood samples, and at the same time, they measured the accuracy and speed of the reaction, as well as the mood of the volunteers.
The results suggest that the amount of 1,8-cineole in human blood is related to cognitive processes. Higher levels of it are associated with better performance. At the same time, it can be suspected that the cineole also affects the mood. There was a negative correlation between changes in the level of satisfaction and the concentration in the blood of this compound – in short, it means that the higher the concentration of the substance, the worse the mood – and vice versa.
However, rosemary oil did not affect attention or alertness, the authors of the study suggest.
Scientists suspect that compounds volatilized in rosemary essential oils affect mood and cognition through completely different neurochemical pathways.
Compounds of the terpenes group, including 1,8-cineole, can enter the bloodstream through the mucosa of the nose or lungs, and from there – as small, fat-soluble organic molecules – easily penetrate the brain. 1,8-cineole can be found in rosemary and other aromatic plants, including eucalyptus, bay leaves, wormwood and sage.