Monday, June 30, 2014

Plasma 1,8-cineole correlates with cognitive performance following exposure to rosemary essential oil aroma

Is your hospital room infused with rosemary? Is this nothing more than Pavlovian response? Or placebo?
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3736918/
Mark Mosscorresponding author and Lorraine Oliver
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Abstract

Objective

The mode of influence of the aromas of plant essential oils on human behaviour is largely unclear. This study was designed to assess the potential pharmacological relationships between absorbed 1,8-cineole following exposure to rosemary aroma, cognitive performance and mood.

Methods

Twenty healthy volunteers performed serial subtraction and visual information processing tasks in a cubicle diffused with the aroma of rosemary. Mood assessments were made pre and post testing, and venous blood was sampled at the end of the session. Pearson correlations were carried out between serum levels of 1,8-cineole, cognitive performance measures and change in mood scores.

Results

Here we show for the first time that performance on cognitive tasks is significantly related to concentration of absorbed 1,8-cineole following exposure to rosemary aroma, with improved performance at higher concentrations. Furthermore, these effects were found for speed and accuracy outcomes, indicating that the relationship is not describing a speed–accuracy trade off. The relationships between 1,8-cineole levels and mood were less pronounced, but did reveal a significant negative correlation between change in contentment and plasma 1,8-cineole levels.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that compounds absorbed from rosemary aroma affect cognition and subjective state independently through different neurochemical pathways.
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2 comments:

  1. J.L. MurpheyJuly 1, 2014 at 6:30 AM

    As an aromatherapist, there is a direct link between the olfactory nerves and the brain's response. Rosemary, Marjoram, and red Thyme are known muscle relaxers whether you eat, smell, or soak/bathe in them. I do this when my spasticity is at its worse.

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  2. Elizabeth, John, Jack, and LukeJuly 5, 2014 at 4:19 AM

    I wonder what this would do to me since one of my early symptoms was smelling things that weren't actually there. I always smelt burnt toast....but there wasn't any around...turned out to be seizures. Who knew? Anyway my smell and taste was all messed up. Better now, but I wonder what aromatherapy would do for me now?

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