A recent study found enhanced antioxidants made from antioxidants present in spearmint and rosemary can help boost learning and memory in animals.
"We found that these proprietary compounds reduce deficits caused by mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer's disease," Susan Farr, Ph.D., research professor geriatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine said in an SLU news release.
"This probably means eating spearmint and rosemary is good for you. However, our experiments were in an animal model and I don't know how much -- or if any amount -- of these herbs people would have to consume for learning and memory to improve. In other words, I'm not suggesting that people chew more gum at this point," she said.
The researcher tested the extract on mice that had "age-related cognitive decline." She created three extracts; one from spearmint and two different doses of rosemary.
The higher doses of rosemary improved learning and memory in three tested behaviors, the lower dose and the spearmint extract only improved two.
"Our research suggests these extracts made from herbs might have beneficial effects on altering the course of age-associated cognitive decline," Farr said. "It's worth additional study."
Farr presented her findings to a group of 32,000 people at the Neuroscience 2013 conference.
"Alzheimer's disease is a progressive disease that destroys memory and other important mental functions. It's the most common cause of dementia - a group of brain disorders that results in the loss of intellectual and social skills. These changes are severe enough to interfere with day-to-day life," MayoClinic reported.
Those suffering from Alzheimer's often experience memory loss; disorientation; trouble finding the words to describe thoughts; trouble with thinking and reasoning; trouble making decisions and judgments; an inability to perform everyday skills; depression; mood swings; irritability; social withdrawal; distrust in others; delusions; and a number of other symptoms.
