Many of us worry about experiencing cognitive decline in our later years. Following a non-smoking lifestyle with adequate sleep and physical activity, along with a prudent diet, can help us stay healthy longer (JAMA Internal Medicine, April 6, 2020). Presumably, people who avoid diabetes, heart disease and stroke also have a better chance of keeping their brains in good shape. But what about the details of the diet? Are there particular items that might protect our faculties, such as drinking rosemary water? This may sound odd, but there is some research to support it.
What Is the Story on Rosemary Water?
Q. You have written about the benefits of consuming rosemary water to keep the brain functioning well. This sounds delicious. I would love to preserve my cognitive performance, so I’d welcome any details.
A. The original study we cited included 80 healthy people assigned to either rosemary water or plain mineral water (Journal of Psychopharmacology, Dec. 2018). Those drinking rosemary water performed better on computerized cognitive tasks. The benefits were modest but statistically significant.
Since then, other animal and clinical trials have supported the brain-protecting effects of rosemary (Current Drug Targets, 2024). One study conducted in mice found that rosmarinic acid (a component of rosemary) could prevent the negative impact of a Western style diet (Clinical Nutrition, Oct. 2024). Another study in cell cultures and rats found that a combined extract of peppermint and Japanese cornel dogwood can protect neurons and enhance memory and learning (International Journal of Molecular Sciences, March 9, 2026). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41828723/
We have more information about rosemary, peppermint, lemon balm and other herbs that can enhance memory in our book, Spice Up Your Health: How Everyday Kitchen Herbs & Spices Can Lengthen & Strengthen Your Life. You will find it in the books section under the store tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.
Where Can You Find Rosemary Water?
Q. You have written about rosemary water improving performance on some cognitive tests. What is this? I have never seen it. Where could I get it?
A. We wrote about a study in which 80 people were randomly assigned to drink a cup of commercial rosemary water (No. 1 Botanicals, a British brand) or plain water. The differences in cognitive performance were small but statistically significant (Journal of Psychopharmacology, Dec. 2018).
We don’t know if it is possible to purchase rosemary water in the US. Shipping it from London would probably be very pricey.
Make Your Own
You could make your own rosemary water, but we don’t have a way of standardizing the active compounds such as rosmarinic acid. When we make it, we use six six-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary from the backyard bush and steep them in a quart of water for an hour. We boil the water before pouring it over the sprigs. Unfortunately, we don’t know how this compares to the No. 1 Botanicals product. However, it is quite tasty.
Some experts consider rosemary, along with other herbs and spices, a promising nutraceutical to slow cognitive decline (British Journal of Pharmacology, March 2020). The investigators have also found evidence of benefit from lemon balm, saffron, sage and turmeric. You won’t find lemon balm at the supermarket, but it is easy to grow if you have a yard. The others are readily available as herbs; turmeric, the best-studied, is a primary component of curry powder.
The History of Rosemary to Strengthen Cognition
Rosemary has been used as a medicine for millennia. Both ancient Greece and ancient Egypt used it in funeral practices and as an everyday salve to treat joint pain and heal wounds (Cosmetics, Oct. 3, 2020). Apparently scholars in ancient Greece wore crowns of rosemary to improve memory; we have no data on how well that might have worked. However, modern research shows that students taking rosemary extract for a month had better memory scores, slept better and felt less anxious than those on placebo (Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Feb. 2018). Presumably this was common knowledge in the 16th century, as Shakespeare has Ophelia say, “There’s rosemary, that’s for remembrance.”
Learn More
We have more information about rosemary, peppermint, lemon balm and other herbs that can enhance memory in our book, Spice Up Your Health: How Everyday Kitchen Herbs & Spices Can Lengthen & Strengthen Your Life. If you are interested in the health-giving properties of spices like turmeric, you may find it of interest.
Citations
- Nyberg ST et al, "Association of healthy lifestyle with years lived without major chronic diseases." JAMA Internal Medicine, April 6, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.0618
- Moss M et al, "Acute ingestion of rosemary water: Evidence of cognitive and cerebrovascular effects in healthy adults." Journal of Psychopharmacology, Dec. 2018. DOI: 10.1177/0269881118798339
- Oresanya IO & Orehan IE, "Deciphering neuroprotective effect of Rosmarinus officinalis L. (syn. Salvia rosmarinus Spenn.) through preclinical and clinical studies." Current Drug Targets, 2024. DOI: 10.2174/0113894501255093240117092328
- Giona L et al, "Western diet-induced cognitive and metabolic dysfunctions in aged mice are prevented by rosmarinic acid in a sex-dependent fashion." Clinical Nutrition, Oct. 2024. DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.08.012
- Howes MR et al, "Role of phytochemicals as nutraceuticals for cognitive functions affected in ageing." British Journal of Pharmacology, March 2020. DOI: 10.1111/bph.14898
- González-MInero FJ et al, "Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Rosemary): An ancient plant with uses in personal healthcare and cosmetics." Cosmetics, Oct. 3, 2020. https://doi.org/10.3390/cosmetics7040077
- Nematolahi P et al, "Effects of Rosmarinus officinalis L. on memory performance, anxiety, depression, and sleep quality in university students: A randomized clinical trial." Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice, Feb. 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2017.11.004
