Acute ingestion of rosemary water: Evidence of cognitive and cerebrovascular effects in healthy adults

Abstract

Background: The use of herbal extracts and supplements to enhance health and wellbeing is increasing in western society. Aims: This study investigated the impact of the acute ingestion of a commercially available water containing an extract and hydrolat of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L. syn. Salvia rosmarinus Schleid.). Aspects of cognitive functioning, mood and cerebrovascular response measured by nearinfrared spectroscopy provided the dependent variables. Methods: Eighty healthy adults were randomly allocated to consume either 250 mL of rosemary water or plain mineral water. They then completed a series of computerised cognitive tasks, followed by subjective measures of alertness and fatigue. Near-infrared spectroscopy monitored levels of total, oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin at baseline and throughout the cognitive testing procedure. Results: Analysis of the data 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. Of particular interest here are the cerebrovascular effects noted for deoxygenated haemoglobin levels during cognitive task performance that were significantly higher in the rosemary water condition. This represents a novel finding in this area, and may indicate a facilitation of oxygen extraction at times of cognitive demand. Conclusion: Taken together the data suggest potential beneficial properties of acute consumption of rosemary water. The findings are discussed in terms of putative metabolic and cholinergic mechanisms.

Rosemary Extract and Essential Oil as Drink Ingredients: An Evaluation of Their Chemical Composition, Genotoxicity, Antimicrobial, Antiviral, and Antioxidant Properties

“…The antidepressant properties have been studied in various models [ 7 , 8 ]; we have earlier shown that rosemary infusion has antidepressant/anxiolytic-like and anticholinesterase effects [ 9 ]. In 2018, an intervention study in healthy adults showed that rosemary water consumption had beneficial cognition effects, which agreed with those previously discovered for inhaling the scent of rosemary essential oil [ 10 ].…”

Prolonged Low-Level Exposure to the Aroma of Peppermint Essential Oil Enhances Aspects of Cognition and Mood in Healthy Adults

“…Compared to no aroma controls they report peppermint as having a large impact that appears quickly and that is maintained for some time following the removal of the aroma. Although no measures of cognition were included in the study the changes reported for the haemodynamic measures coincide with those observed for oral administration of rosemary where associated improvements on cognition were also reported [27]. It may be therefore that improved cognitive performance is a consequence of increased delivery of glucose and oxygen at times of high demand.…”

Acute Effects of Salvia Supplementation on Cognitive Function in Athletes During a Fatiguing Cycling Exercise: A Randomized Cross-Over, Placebo-Controlled, and Double-Blind Study

“…These positive results were previously obtained with chronic supplementation in humans suffering from different diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome ( 23 , 24 ). Acute Salvia supplementation was also beneficial in healthy individuals for mood, memory, or attention ( 7 , 9 – 11 , 25 ). More specifically, in healthy individuals, the two species of Salvia under investigation in the present study ( S. officinalis and S. lavandulaefolia ) have, separately, demonstrated improvements for immediate or delayed word recall, speed of memory, and Stroop test ( 7 , 10 , 26 ).…”