This tasty seasoning can boost memory, fight anxiety and even help prevent dementia

Herb your enthusiasm — your brain’s about to get a boost. 

For centuries, a trusty kitchen staple has been celebrated by ancient healers for its wide-ranging medicinal properties, including sharpening memory, concentration and overall cognitive function.

Now, modern science is backing up that old-school wisdom, with research suggesting the powerful plant could even help fight Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia worldwide.

A Mediterranean marvel

Rosemary, a fragrant evergreen shrub native to the Mediterranean, has been a kitchen staple since the time of ancient Greece and Rome.

Fast forward to today, and the versatile herb has won fans around the world. Its bold, aromatic leaves — whether fresh or dried — are widely used as seasoning, steeped in tea or infused into oil.

But could adding rosemary to your meals do more than just wake up your taste buds?

More than just flavor

Packed with phytochemicals, rosemary has been shown to help protect the body from harmful free radicals, oxidative stress and inflammation — all key drivers behind chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

It also appears to pack an antimicrobial punch, having long been used in traditional medicine to fight infections and speed wound healing.

Rosemary is a solid source of vitamins A, C and B6, along with essential minerals like iron, calcium, magnesium and potassium. It’s especially rich in manganese, a key nutrient for metabolic health.

With all these benefits, scientists are investigating whether rosemary could help with everything from vision and skin health to hair growth, asthma relief and even slowing the spread of cancer cells.

But one of the most promising frontiers in rosemary research is the brain.

Brain food since ancient times

Scientists may be just catching on, but humans have relied on rosemary to boost brainpower for thousands of years.

Back in ancient Greece, students and scholars commonly wore garlands made from the plant on their heads during exams to boost their memory and focus.

Centuries later, Shakespeare crowned it “the herb of remembrance.”

Turns out, they might have been onto something.

In one study, older adults who sniffed rosemary scored significantly better on tests of prospective memory — the ability to remember to do something at the right time — compared to those in an unscented room. They were also more alert.

“This is potentially very important because prospective memory, for example, enables you to remember to take your medication at certain times of the day,” said Dr. Mark Moss, head of the department of psychology at Northumbria University, who helped lead the study.

But it’s not just seniors who could benefit.

A 2018 trial found university students taking 500 mg of rosemary supplements twice daily for a month showed better memory than a placebo group. They also reported less anxiety and depression, plus better sleep — suggesting rosemary does more than just sharpen your mind.

In another study, employees who drank rosemary-infused water daily said they felt less burnt out at their jobs than coworkers who didn’t.

Scientists think rosemary may work its magic by boosting blood flow to the brain — flooding it with oxygen and nutrients that help clear out mental fog.

Its calming scent has also been shown to lower cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. Meanwhile, research suggests its polyphenols may help fight depression by taming inflammation and supporting gut health.

Rosemary also contains compounds like 1,8-cineole, which helps prevent the breakdown of acetylcholine — a key brain chemical tied to learning and memory.

Experts suspect that keeping acetylcholine levels up may help your mind stay sharp with age.

Researchers are also zeroing in on carnosic acid, a powerful antioxidant in rosemary that shields brain cells from damage linked to Alzheimer’s disease.

In 2025, researchers created a stable version called diAcCA, and early lab results are promising. The compound improved memory, strengthened brain cell connections and slashed levels of Alzheimer’s-linked proteins like amyloid-beta and tau.

Even better, diAcCA only activated in inflamed brain areas, potentially reducing side effects. In mouse studies, it showed no signs of toxicity and delivered major cognitive gains — raising hopes for future human trials.

The breakthrough could be big, with Alzheimer’s becoming a growing public health crisis as America’s population gets older.

Right now, about 7.2 million Americans over 65 have the memory-robbing disease. By 2060, that number is expected to nearly double to 13.8 million unless new treatments or cures emerge.