Exposing children to the aroma of rosemary essential oil significantly boosts their working memory, according to a study by the U.K.'s Northumbria University.

"Our previous study demonstrated the aroma of rosemary essential oil could enhance cognition in healthy adults," said Dr. Mark Moss. "Knowing how important working memory is in academic achievement we wanted to see if similar effects could be found in school age children in classroom settings."

Working memory is a part of the short-term memory that holds and manages the information needed to carry out complex chores such as learning and comprehension.

Children aged 10 to 11 were randomly assigned to a room that had either rosemary oil diffused in it for 10 minutes or a room that had no scent.

The children were then tested individually by a researcher. Results found that children in the rosemary scented room scored significantly higher than children in the non-scented room. The test to recall words demonstrated the greatest effect on scores.

"Why and how rosemary has this effect is still up for debate," said Moss. "It could be that aromas affect electrical activity in the brain or that pharmacologically active compounds can be absorbed when adults are exposed.

"We do know that poor working memory is related to poor academic performance and these findings offer a possible cost effective and simple intervention to improve academic performance in children," he continued. "The time is ripe for large-scale trials of aroma application in education settings."

A previous study discovered that merely sniffing a sprig of rosemary boosts learning skills and mood in adults. It showed, for the first time, that blood levels of 1,8-cineole, a chemical found in rosemary, improved cognitive performance. The study, published in the journal Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology, found that the higher the concentration of 1,8-cineole in the blood, the better the participants scored on tests in both speed and accuracy.

Researchers in California and Japan found that rosemary contains carnosic acid, which protects the brain against damage by free radicals, helping prevent strokes and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.

In addition, researchers recommend adding rosemary extract to ground beef to reduce the cancer-causing chemicals that can form when meat is cooked, especially at high temperatures.