Aromas of Rosemary and Lavender Essential Oils Differentially Affect Cognition and Mood in Healthy Adults

Abstract

This study was designed to assess the olfactory impact of the essential oils of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and rosemary (Rosmarlnus officinalis) on cognitive performance and mood in healthy volunteers. One hundred and forty-four participants were randomly assigned to one of three independent groups, and subsequently performed the Cognitive Drug Research (CDR) computerized cognitive assessment battery in a cubicle containing either one of the two odors or no odor (control). Visual analogue mood questionnaires were completed prior to exposure to the odor, and subsequently after completion of the test battery. The participants were deceived as to the genuine aim of the study until the completion of testing to prevent expectancy effects from possibly influencing the data. The outcome variables from the nine tasks that constitute the CDR core battery feed into six factors that represent different aspects of cognitive functioning. Analysis of performance revealed that lavender produced a significant decrement in performance of working memory, and impaired reaction times for both memory and attention based tasks compared to controls. In contrast, rosemary produced a significant enhancement of performance for overall quality of memory and secondary memory factors, but also produced an impairment of speed of memory compared to controls. With regard to mood, comparisons of the change in ratings from baseline to post-test revealed that following the completion of the cognitive assessment battery, both the control and lavender groups were significantly less alert than the rosemary condition; however, the control group was significantly less content than both rosemary and lavender conditions. These findings indicate that the olfactory properties of these essential oils can produce objective effects on cognitive performance, as well as subjective effects on mood.

Modulation of Cognitive Performance and Mood by Aromas of Peppermint and Ylang-Ylang

“…An interesting comparison can be made to the results of the current study to those reported by Moss et al, (2003) regarding the effects of rosemary and lavender aromas on the same cognitive and mood assessments. Lavender aroma was found to produce decrements in performance on secondary memory, speed of memory and speed of attention compared to controls.…”

“…In a previous investigation, Moss et al (2003) compared cognitive performance across lavender, rosemary or control conditions using a computerised assessment battery.…”

Efficient Learning for the Poor: Insights from the Frontier of Cognitive Neuroscience

“…Rosemary aroma has a similar action (Moss and Cook 2003 35. Eight hours of sleep may also double the probability of acquiring insights into the solutions of problems (Wagner et al 2004).…”

Influence of leaf retention on cutting propagation of Lavandula dentata L.

“…The disinfectant and medicinal properties of lavender can be used in different market sectors, such as the cosmetics and industrial fragrance industries, among others (Al-Amier et al, 1999;Shellie et al, 2002;Moss et al, 2003;Beus, 2006;Chemat et al, 2006;Dob et al, 2006;Singh et al, 1997).…”