FRAGRANCE
Dr Mark Moss.
gardens, our memory function can improve by up to 15%.
In his talk ‘Halfway to Scarborough
Fair’ – in a reference to the old folk song – Dr Moss demonstrated just how the aroma of rosemary has been shown to affect cognitive abilities. He conducted research, comparing rosemary with lavender – long thought to have relaxation properties – in which he found that rosemary improved memory among the older subjects who took part in a controlled experiment. Dr Moss said: “The impact of olfactory stimulation on human behaviour is widespread and varied. Ambient smells can induce disgust and physical nausea as easily as they can stimulate appetite and desire. Proust famously detailed how smells can invoke memories, and different smells can produce vivid recollections of all human emotional valences. The ‘why’ that underpins these experiences is as actively debated as the ‘how’? However, my primary interest in aromas originated in the ‘what’? Specifically, I was drawn to the question of
Professor Jonathan Reinarz.
what (if any) impact might the aromas of essential oils have on reliable and valid assessments of human cognitive function and subjective mood state. Much of the work I have undertaken has focused on rosemary – a herb long since associated with memory.
“The study was my first to employ healthy participants over 60 years-of-age, and focused on the impact of rosemary on prospective memory – our ability to ‘remember to remember’. Prospective memory failings are some of the most serious cognitive failures in terms of impact on quality of life; forgetting to take medication for example can be life threatening. The study identified improvements in prospective memory were available for the over 60s when exposed to rosemary aroma. I believe that this impact might be pharmacologically mediated. The human brain is not only sensitive to aromas in terms of retrieval of emotional memories from the past, but is also potentially amenable to pharmacological
interventions based on aromas of essential oils impacting on more everyday aspects of cognitive functioning.”
Dr Moss and his team has for some time explored the theory about rosemary aroma. The first was instigated by an undergraduate student, and Dr Moss admits that he approached it from a position of healthy scepticism. The positive impact of rosemary we observed on long term memory was small but enticing, and led to the line of research that he continues to this day.
The second study was Dr Moss’s first to actively attempt to investigate mechanisms that might underpin the effects found. He says: “Based on information drawn from animal and in vitro studies, I investigated the relationship between blood-borne components and cognition in healthy adults. The results suggest pharmacological mechanisms might be at least partly responsible for improved cognition in the presence of rosemary aroma.” Another study was picked up by the BBC and presented in the ‘Trust Me I’m A Doctor’ series in July 2015.
The active ingredient identified by Dr Moss is 1,8-cineole, found in the essential oil of rosemary. While this has previously been shown to have an effect of the biochemistry of the brain affecting memory, the compound when found in other plants, such as eucalyptus, does not appear to have the same cognitive effects. Lavender has long been found to have a sedative effect. The active ingredient thought to be responsible for this effect is linalool, with physiological and psychological measures of sedation recorded following inhalation of the compound in mice and humans respectively.
Dr Mark Moss conducted research, comparing rosemary with lavender – long thought to have relaxation properties – and found that rosemary improved memory among the older subjects.
He concluded: “Potential applications are only just starting to be proved scientifically. There are lots of potential applications. Dosage is the next question
February 2016 PERSONAL CARE 19
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