Brain Function Dramatically Boosted by Certain Fragrances During Sleep

Well, didn't your competent? doctor already have you diffusing lavender, rosemary and sage for years already? Oh, you don't have a functioning stroke doctor, do you? I didn't either. For proof, ask your doctor what a competent stroke doctor would provide. If it is not 100% recovery, then in my opinion you don't have a competent doctor. Don't accept excuses from your doctor about how hard the brain is to treat.

• • rosemary (7 posts to June 2014)

  • sage (2 posts to April 2016)

  • lavender (5 posts to June 2014)

Brain Function Dramatically Boosted by Certain Fragrances During Sleep

Of all the senses we love to indulge, scent is often neglected – but the right smells could be just what your brain needs to keep it whirring in old age.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have uncovered strong evidence that enriching the air with fragrances improves cognitive performance by strengthening a critical connection between neurological areas involving memory and decision-making.

Their experiment, involving 43 men and women aged 60 to 85, suggests cognitive decline and conditions such as dementia might be slowed by simply diffusing a different choice of perfumes through the bedroom before bed each night.Keeping the old gray matter stimulated as we age is vital to maintaining good cognitive health. That doesn't just mean keeping up with the daily crossword – it means peppering our environment with all kinds of sights and sounds for the brain to chew on. For other animals, enriching the environment with odors has been shown to stimulate neuroplasticity, especially in tests It's not exactly a stretch to believe humans could also benefit from experiencing a complex 'scent-scape'. Physiologically speaking, our ability to detect smells deteriorates before our cognitive ability Boost Your Brainpower: 10 Age-Defying Foods for a Boost Your Brainpower: 10 Age-Defying Foods for a Sharper Mind

Losing this sense also correlates with a loss in brain cells, hinting at a strong connection between smell and neurological function. "The olfactory sense has the special privilege of being directly connected to the brain's memory circuits," said neurobiologist Michael Yassa when the results were revealed in August."All the other senses are routed first through the thalamus. Everyone has experienced how powerful aromas are in evoking recollections, even from very long ago. However, unlike with vision changes that we treat with glasses and hearing for hearing impairment, there has been no intervention for the loss of smell." To determine whether cognitive decline can be saved with this kind of sensory stimulation, Yassa and his colleagues provided 20 of the study's recruits with an assortment of natural oils containing fragrances of rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender.  The rest of the group were provided with a 'sham' that contained trace amounts of an odorant. All of the participants were required to use one of the oils with a diffuser to perfume their home for two hours every night over a six-month period, rotating through their menu of fragrances. A battery of neuropsychological tests was then used to compare the volunteers' memory, verbal learning, planning, and attention-switching skills before and after the six-month trial. Astonishingly, there was a clear 226 percent difference between the responses provided by those who were exposed to a variety of fragrances and individuals in the control group. A scan of their brains also revealed a significant change in the anatomy linking areas As all of the volunteers were of similarly sound mental health, the researchers aim to now see if the results continue to hold for people already diagnosed with a degree of cognitive loss.No matter what age or state of mind, giving your nose something to do when the lights go out and the silence sets in isn't exactly an unpleasant way to exercise the mind at night. An earlier version of this article was published in August 2023.

Exposure to Certain Fragrances During Sleep Dramatically Boosts Cognitive Function

Ask your doctor if this will help recover your  5 lost cognitive years from your stroke.

Will your doctor and hospital have enough functioning brain cells to ensure followup testing occurs on stroke survivors?

Do you prefer your doctor and hospital incompetence NOT KNOWING? OR NOT DOING anything on this?

 

Exposure to Certain Fragrances During Sleep Dramatically Boosts Cognitive Function

Of all the senses we love to indulge, scent is often neglected – but the right smells could be just what your brain needs to keep it whirring in old age.

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine recently uncovered strong evidence that enriching the air with fragrances improves cognitive performance by strengthening a critical connection between neurological areas involving memory and decision-making.

Their experiment, involving 43 men and women aged 60 to 85, suggests cognitive decline and conditions such as dementia might be slowed by simply diffusing a different choice of perfumes through the bedroom before bed each night.

Keeping the old gray matter stimulated as we age is vital to maintaining good cognitive health. That doesn't just mean keeping up with the daily crossword – it means peppering our environment with all kinds of sights and sounds for the brain to chew on.

For other animals, enriching the environment with odors has been shown to stimulate neuroplasticity, especially in tests involving animals with human-like symptoms to neurological disorders.

It's not exactly a stretch to believe humans could also benefit from experiencing a complex 'scent-scape'. Physiologically speaking, our ability to detect smells deteriorates before our cognitive ability begins to decline.

Losing this sense also correlates with a loss in brain cells, hinting at a strong connection between smell and neurological function.

"The olfactory sense has the special privilege of being directly connected to the brain's memory circuits," says neurobiologist Michael Yassa.

"All the other senses are routed first through the thalamus. Everyone has experienced how powerful aromas are in evoking recollections, even from very long ago. However, unlike with vision changes that we treat with glasses and hearing aids for hearing impairment, there has been no intervention for the loss of smell."

To determine whether cognitive decline can be saved with this kind of sensory stimulation, Yassa and his colleagues provided 20 of the study's recruits with an assortment of natural oils containing fragrances of rose, orange, eucalyptus, lemon, peppermint, rosemary, and lavender.
Oil added to a heater
Aromatic oils could help work the brain by enriching the environment with smells. (Microgen Images/Science Photo Library/Getty Images)

The rest of the group were provided with a 'sham' that contained trace amounts of an odorant. All of the participants were required to use one of the oils with a diffuser to perfume their home for two hours every night over a six-month period, rotating through their menu of fragrances.

A battery of neuropsychological tests was then used to compare the volunteers' memory, verbal learning, planning, and attention-switching skills before and after the six-month trial.

Astonishingly, there was a clear 226 percent difference between the responses provided by those who were exposed to a variety of fragrances and individuals in the control group. A scan of their brains also revealed a significant change in the anatomy linking areas of the brain critical in memory and thinking within the test group.

As all of the volunteers were of similarly sound mental health, the researchers aim to now see if the results continue to hold for people already diagnosed with a degree of cognitive loss.

No matter what age or state of mind, giving your nose something to do when the lights go out and the silence sets in isn't exactly an unpleasant way to exercise the mind at night.

This research was published in Frontiers in Neuroscience.

Here’s How You Can Add More Flavor and Brain Health Benefits to Your Diet with Common Spices by Debbie Hampton

If your doctor has nothing on this maybe you want to ask when they will become competent in stroke rehab. Don't do anything with this until your doctor approves, which will be never. Good luck. 

Here’s How You Can Add More Flavor and Brain Health Benefits to Your Diet with Common Spices

Neuroprotective Potential of Aromatic Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, and Lavender

Has your hospital been incompetent in not having these aromatic herbs years ago? Why does your board of directors allow such incompetence in themselves and the stroke staff to continue for years at a time?

• rosemary (7 posts to June 2014)

• sage (2 posts to April 2016)

• lavender (3 posts to June 2014)

 

Oops, I'm not playing by the polite rules of Dale Carnegie,  'How to Win Friends and Influence People'. 

Telling supposedly smart stroke medical persons they know nothing about stroke is a no-no even if it is true. 

Politeness will never solve anything in stroke. Yes, I'm a bomb thrower and proud of it. Someday a stroke 'leader' will try to ream me out for making them look bad by being truthful, I look forward to that day.

The latest here:

Neuroprotective Potential of Aromatic Herbs: Rosemary, Sage, and Lavender

Arezoo Faridzadeh^1,2, Yasaman Salimi³, Hamidreza Ghasemirad⁴, Meraj Kargar⁵, Ava Rashtchian⁶, Golnaz Mahmoudvand⁷, Mohammad Amin Karimi⁸, Nasibeh Zerangian⁹, Negar Jahani¹⁰, Anahita Masoudi¹¹, Bahare Sadeghian Dastjerdi¹², Marieh Salavatizedeh¹³, Hamidreza Sadeghsalehi¹⁴ and Niloofar Deravi^6*

• ¹Department of Immunology and Allergy, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
• ²Immunology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
• ³Student Research Committee, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
• ⁴Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
• ⁵Student Research Committee, Afzalipour Faculty of Medicine Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
• ⁶Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
• ⁷Student Research Committee, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran
• ⁸School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
• ⁹School of Public Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
• ¹⁰Student Research Committee, Faculty of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
• ¹¹Student Research Committee, Jahrom University of Medical Sciences, Jahrom, Iran
• ¹²Student Research Committee, Department of Midwifery, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
• ¹³Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Nutrition and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
• ¹⁴Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Hundreds of millions of people around the world suffer from neurological disorders or have experienced them intermittently, which has significantly reduced their quality of life. The common treatments for neurological disorders are relatively expensive and may lead to a wide variety of side effects including sleep attacks, gastrointestinal side effects, blood pressure changes, etc. On the other hand, several herbal medications have attracted colossal popularity worldwide in the recent years due to their availability, affordable prices, and few side effects. Aromatic plants, sage (Salvia officinalis), lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus) have already shown anxiolytics, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective effects. They have also shown potential in treating common neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, migraine, and cognitive disorders. This review summarizes the data on the neuroprotective potential of aromatic herbs, sage, lavender, and rosemary.

Introduction

A neurological disorder is described as any condition that results in functional or structural damage to the nervous system. Neurological disorders account for the second main cause of death globally and the first main cause of disability as they typically cause cognitive impairment or sensorimotor dysfunction leading to reduced quality of daily life. Due to the high mortality and morbidity rate of neurological disorders, preventive and therapeutic strategies are crucial. The conventional medications administered for treating neurological disorders are associated with different adverse events; hence, the possible therapeutic effects of natural products on neurological conditions have been addressed by many researchers in the recent years (Ahmadi et al., 2022). A variety of herbal medications have gained the attraction of researchers in the last decade, due to their availability, lower price, and rare side effects (Abdel-Aziz et al., 2016).

Aromatic herbs such as sage (Salvia officinalis), rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus), and lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) have shown promising neuroprotective effects in the recent studies (Kashani et al., 2011; Jamison, 2012; Jemia et al., 2013; Alvi et al., 2019; Mohseni et al., 2020; Caputo et al., 2021). Salvia Rosmarinus is an evergreen herb that belongs to the Lamiaceae family. Salvia Rosmarinus naturally grows in dry scrub and rocky areas in the Mediterranean regions of southern Europe to western Asia and has potential antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory features (Leporini et al., 2020). The therapeutic effects of Salvia Rosmarinus on a variety of cognitive disorders such as Parkinson's disease, neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, and epilepsy have been suggested (Park et al., 2008; de Oliveira et al., 2016; Giacomelli et al., 2016; El Alaoui et al., 2017; Yildirim and Kitis, 2020). Lavandula angustifolia is a well-known aromatic herb in the Lamiaceae family. Lavandula angustifolia is native to the Mediterranean areas with antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant effects (Erland and Mahmoud, 2016). Neuroprotective properties of Lavandula angustifolia have been described in the literature. Dementia, glioblastoma, neuroblastoma, neurotoxicity, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and migraine have been found to respond to treatment with Lavandula angustifolia (Arzi et al., 2011; Sasannejad et al., 2012; Hancianu et al., 2013; Caputo et al., 2016, 2021; Nikolova et al., 2016; Chan et al., 2020). Salvia officinalis is a plant in the family of Labiatae/Lamiaceae. It is indigenous to the Middle East and Mediterranean regions. Salvia officinalis has been traditionally used for the treatment of a wide range of disorders such as seizures, ulcers, gout, rheumatism, and inflammation (Ghorbani and Esmaeilizadeh, 2017). The effects of Salvia officinalis on different neurological disorders such as cognitive deficits, glioblastoma, neurotoxicity, multiple sclerosis, and ischemic stroke have been reported (Iuvone et al., 2006; Kennedy et al., 2011; Seyedemadi et al., 2016; Li et al., 2018; Choukairi et al., 2020). This study aims to summarize the data on the neuroprotective potential of sage, lavender, and rosemary.

More at link.

Short-term Study on the Effects of Rosemary on Cognitive Function in an Elderly Population

Is this enough to start regaining your lost 5 cognitive years from the stroke

or does your doctor have something better? 9 years to get that accomplished.

Short-term Study on the Effects of Rosemary on Cognitive Function in an Elderly Population

. 2012 Jan;15(1):10-7.

doi: 10.1089/jmf.2011.0005. Epub 2011 Aug 30.
Andrew Pengelly  ¹ , James Snow, Simon Y Mills, Andrew Scholey, Keith Wesnes, Leah Reeves Butler

Affiliations

• PMID: 21877951
• DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2011.0005

Abstract

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis L.) has traditional reputations that justify investigation for a potential role in reducing widespread cognitive decline in the elderly. A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, repeated-measures crossover study was conducted to investigate possible acute effects of dried rosemary leaf powder on cognitive performance. Twenty-eight 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. Doses were counterbalanced, 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 (P=.01), whereas the highest dose (6,000 mg) had a significant impairing effect (P<.01). There were significant deleterious effects on other measures of cognitive performance, although these were less consistent. Speed of memory is a potentially useful predictor of cognitive function during aging. The positive effect of the dose nearest normal culinary consumption points to the value of further work on effects of low doses over the longer term.

Top 10 Spices for a Healthy Brain

Will your doctor and stroke hospital do one fucking thing with this information? Or is it time once again to bury their brains/heads up their asses? Up to you how to respond, take it lying down or agitate. Nothing will get better for your children and grandchildren unless lots of people step forward and call out their stroke medical 'professionals' for doing nothing for future survivor recovery.  With no research references for this you will have to depend on your doctor for advice.
https://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2017/02/24/top-10-spices-for-a-healthy-brain/

By Emily Waters
~ 2 min read 
Your diet plays a crucial role in your mental well being and physical health, as they are intricately connected. Have you ever thought about everyday spices that could give your brain an internal boost and reset from within to function at an optimal level?
Consider adding these 10 spices below to your current diet, or better yet cook with them to improve overall brain health, and help prevent, or at the very least stave off future cognitive decline. These top spices have been studied extensively by world renowned psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Amen, and is widely discussed in many of his journal publications and books, including one of his latest Change Your Brain, Change Your Life. He recommends the 10 spices below to be incorporated into your every diet to have a happier and healthier brain.
Turmeric
Found in curry, turmeric contains a chemical that has been shown to decrease plaques and tangles in the brain thought to be responsible for the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Saffron
In 3 specific studies that Dr. Amen conducted, a saffron extract was found to be as effective as antidepressant medication in treating people with major depression, and various anxiety disorders.
Sage
There is strong scientific evidence that sage helps to improve and strengthen the hippocampus of our brains, which is responsible for memory.
Cinnamon has been shown to help regulate attention, and focus. Additionally, it helps to regulate blood sugar, which decreases the hunger hormone Ghrelin, while boosting Leptin, the satiety hormone responsible for fullness.
Basil, a common antioxidant pizza topper is responsible for improving blood flow to the heart and brain, and has additional anti inflammatory properties that offer protection from Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia.
Thyme is responsible for increasing the amount of DHA, an essential fatty acid in the brain. DHA is responsible for playing a central role in brain health. In fact, an optimal intake of DHA is especially essential for pregnant and nursing mothers to endure adequate brain development in their children.
Oregano, especially dried oregano has between 30-40 times the brain healing antioxidant power of raw blueberries, 46 times more than Quercetin that’s found in the skin of apples, and 56 times as much as strawberries, making it one of the most powerful brain cell protectors on the planet.
Garlic promotes better blood flow to the brain, and actually works by stopping/killing brain cancer cells in a 2007 study.
Ginger can potentially make you smarter. A study that combined ginger with ginkgo biloba suggests that it does, and further studies aiming to replicate those earlier findings are currently underway. Ginger root extract may also be beneficial in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, and for those who suffer from migraine/ tension/cluster headaches.
Rosemary
A recent study highlighted the beneficial effects of rosemary in diminishing cognitive decline in people with dementia. Fresh or dried will do the trick.
Despite our genetic blueprint, a lot of things regarding our overall health are really in our hands, and specifically found in nature. Take advantage of the power you personally have by incorporating these healing spices into your diet and you will be rewarded with a happier and healthier brain in the long run.

Herbs that can boost your mood and memory

I bet nothing here will change your non-existent stroke diet protocol.

Herbs that can boost your mood and memory

The herbs peppermint, chamomile, rosemary and lavender have been proven to have an impact on mood and memory, with significant benefits displayed for older people, according to new research from Northumbria University.
Researchers from the University’s Department of Psychology have found that drinking peppermint tea improves alertness, while chamomile tea has a calming effect. They also found that smelling the aromas of rosemary and lavender impacted on memory in people over 65, with the scent of rosemary enhancing their memory, while lavender impaired it.
The findings have been presented at the annual British Psychological Society Conference in Nottingham this week (26-28 April 2016).
In one study, the researchers asked 180 volunteers to consume either a chamomile or peppermint tea drink and tested their cognition and mood before and after drinking. A control group drank hot water for comparison.
They found that peppermint enhanced and aroused both mood and cognition, helping to improve long term memory, working memory and alertness, while chamomile had a calming and sedative effect which significantly slowed memory and attention speed.
In a separate study, 150 healthy people aged 65 and over were placed in rooms which had been scented with rosemary and lavender essential oils, or a control room which had no scent. They were asked to undertake tests that assessed their prospective memory – the ability to remember to do something at a given time, such as taking medication, or after receiving a prompt, such as posting a letter after seeing a post box. They also completed a mood assessment test.
Those who had been in the rosemary scented room displayed significantly enhanced prospective memory, with test scores 15% higher than those who had been in the room with no aroma. They were also more alert.
In contrast, those who had spent time in the lavender scented room displayed significantly increased calmness and contentedness, with a decrease in their ability to remember to do something at a given time.
Dr Mark Moss, Head of the Department of Psychology, said: “Peppermint has a reputation for being psychologically or mentally alerting. It picks you up and makes you feel a little bit brighter, so we endeavoured to test this out by giving people peppermint tea, or chamomile tea, which is a more calming drink and then put them through some computerised tests. We found that those people who had drunk the peppermint tea had better long-term memory. They were able to remember more words and pictures that they had seen. In contrast, the people who had the chamomile were slower in responding to tasks.
“Rosemary meanwhile has a reputation about being associated with memory – even Shakespeare said ‘rosemary is for remembrance’ – and it’s also associated with being invigorating. We have found that people are more alert after being in a room that has rosemary aroma in it. We tested prospective memory – our ability to remember to remember to do something – on people over 65 years of age, to see if we could improve their ability and we found that rosemary could do that. This is potentially very important because prospective memory, for example, enables you to remember to take your medication at certain times of the day.
“It is interesting to see the contrasting effects that different herbs can have on both mood and memory, and our research suggests that that they could have beneficial effects, particularly in older age groups. If you were otherwise healthy then this research suggests that there is an opportunity to have an improved memory.”
Northumbria University’s Department of Psychology has undertaken a number of studies into the effects of herbs and substances on mood and memory. They have also found that sage, ginseng, lemon balm and gingko biloba can all have positive effects on improving mental performance.
Northumbria is ranked in the top 20 in the UK for its research in psychology, which was judged to have outstanding reach and significance for its impact, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, which measures the quality of research undertaken at UK universities.

Rosemary aroma can help older adults to remember to do things

Same questions as the previous post.
http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.aspx?ItemId=163455&CultureCode=en
The aroma of rosemary essential oil may improve ability of people over 65 to remember events and to remember to complete tasks at particular times in the future.

This is the finding of a study by post-graduate student Lauren Bussey, Lucy Moss and Dr Mark Moss of Northumbria University who will present their research today, Wednesday 27 April 2016, at the British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference in Nottingham.

Lauren Bussey said: “In this study we focused on prospective memory. This involves the ability to remember events that will occur in the future and to remember to complete tasks at particular times. It’s critical for everyday functioning. For example: when someone needs to remember to post a letter or to take medication at a particular time.”

Rosemary and lavender essential oil were diffused in a testing room by placing four drops on an aroma stream fan diffuser and switching this on five minutes before the participants entered the room. A total of 150 people aged over 65 took part in the study and were randomly allocated to either the rosemary/lavender-scented room or another room with no scent.

Once in the room they undertook tests designed to assess their prospective memory functions. These included remembering to pass on a message at a given time during the procedure, and switching tasks when a specific event occurred. These tasks represent the two components of prospective memory: time-based (remembering to do something at a specific time such as watch a TV show) and event-based (remembering to do something due to an environmental cue such as posting a letter after seeing a post box).

Participants also completed mood assessment before and after undertaking tests in the scented or non-scented rooms.

Analysis of the results showed that the rosemary aroma significantly enhanced prospective memory compared to the room with no aroma. In terms of mood, rosemary significantly increased alertness and lavender significantly increased calmness and contentedness compared to the no aroma control condition
Lauren Bussey said: “These findings support previous research indicating that the aroma of rosemary essential oil can enhance cognitive functioning in healthy adults. This is the first time that similar effects have been demonstrated in the healthy over 65’s. Further investigation is required to understand the potential beneifts of these aromas throughout the life span.”

Scientists Find Sniffing Rosemary Can Increase Memory By 75%

You can have your doctor go thru all the links and verify for themselves that this works. But I bet this will take 30-40 years to be rolled out because of the extreme danger of rosemary scent in your hospital room. Don't have your spouse bring this in without your doctors approval.  Danger, danger Will Robinson.
http://www.herbs-info.com/blog/scientists-find-sniffing-rosemary-can-increase-memory-by-75/?c=d

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 Moss and Lorraine Oliver

Author information ► Copyright and License information ►

Go to:

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.

Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults

This has only been out for 11 years, has your doctor included this in your stroke protocol to help your memory and mood? I'd have to see the actual research details before I believe this is not just placebo or recognition by participants that they got the real thing..

Aromas of rosemary and lavender essential oils differentially affect cognition and mood in healthy adults

Moss M¹, Cook J, Wesnes K, Duckett P.

Author information

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.