In Hamlet, act IV, scene V, Ophelia notes that rosemary is “for remembrance,” an idea that goes back at least a few thousand years to the ancient Greeks, who claimed that rosemary “comforts the brain,…sharpens understanding, restores lost memory, [and] awakens the mind.” After all, plants can be considered little “chemical factories” that manufacture all sorts of compounds that could have “neuroprotective benefits.”
So, let’s cut down on processed foods; eat lots of phytonutrient-rich whole plant foods, including, perhaps, a variety of herbs. Even the smell of certain herbs may affect how our brain works. Unfortunately, I’ve found much of the aromatherapy literature scientifically unsatisfying. Like, there will be studies like this, offering subjective impressions. And so, fine, sure, sniffing an herbal sachet is indeed “easy, inexpensive, and safe,” but is it effective? They didn’t compare test scores, or anything.
