Novel essential oil blend may enhance memory and alertness

A recent study provides evidence that inhaling a specific blend of essential oils may improve cognitive performance in healthy adults. The research indicates that while this aromatic blend increases brain metabolism during mental tasks, these physiological changes do not directly explain the observed boost in memory and attention. These findings were published in the scientific journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental.

The use of essential oils for psychological well-being is a practice with a long history, yet scientific validation for these effects varies across different substances. Previous investigations have identified that the aromas of single oils, such as rosemary and sage, appear to support memory retention and alertness. However, the practice of aromatherapy frequently relies on the blending of multiple oils to create potential synergistic effects.

Despite the popularity of these blends, the efficacy of combining oils has received limited empirical attention compared to single extracts. The creators of the “Genius” blend formulated it based on the purported cognitive benefits of ingredients like frankincense, cardamom, and patchouli. The researchers aimed to determine if this complex mixture could outperform a single oil known for its positive effects.

“I have been Interested in natural interventions to deliver cognitive enhancement for 30 years. For around 20 years, I have been looking at the effects of the aromas of essential oils on aspects of human behaviour including cognition, mood and stress,” said study author Mark Moss, a professor and member of the Brain Performance and Nutrition Research Centre at Northumbria University.

“Essential oils and aromas have been used in society since before the beginning of written records but the scientific investigation of their effects is lacking. I have an interest in conducting high quality research that can deliver reliable and valid findings in this area.”

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The scientific team also sought to move beyond subjective reports and behavioral scores. A primary goal was to explore the biological mechanisms that might underpin these effects. Specifically, they investigated whether the inhalation of these aromas influences brain metabolism by measuring blood oxygenation levels during the performance of demanding mental tasks.

The study involved ninety healthy adult participants who were pseudo-randomly assigned to one of three experimental conditions. To ensure a balanced sample, the groups were matched for gender and age. One group was exposed to the aroma of the Genius essential oil blend, which includes patchouli, neroli, grapefruit, cardamom, frankincense, spikenard, rosemary, and lemongrass.

A second group was exposed to the aroma of sage essential oil to serve as a positive control, given its established reputation for cognitive enhancement. A third group sat in an environment with no added aroma to function as a standard control comparison. The study utilized a double-blind design where neither the researchers administering the tests nor the participants knew which aroma condition was active.

Participants completed a battery of computerized cognitive assessments designed to measure memory, attention, and computational skills. These tasks included word recall, where participants had to remember a list of words, and serial subtraction, which required them to repeatedly subtract specific numbers from a starting figure. Other tasks involved sequence memory challenges known as Corsi blocks.

While performing these mental exercises, participants wore a headband equipped with near-infrared spectroscopy technology. This non-invasive device projected light through the skull to measure changes in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin in the prefrontal cortex. This provided the researchers with real-time data on brain metabolism and oxygen utilization.

Following the completion of the cognitive battery, the participants rated their current mood states. They specifically evaluated their levels of alertness and mental fatigue on visual analogue scales. This allowed the researchers to correlate subjective feelings of well-being with objective performance metrics.

The data analysis revealed significant improvements in performance for the group exposed to the Genius blend compared to the no-aroma control. These improvements were particularly notable in tasks requiring memory and executive function. For instance, participants in the blend condition performed better on word recall and numeric working memory tasks.

The blend also demonstrated superior effects compared to the sage essential oil condition in several performance metrics. This provides some evidence supporting the theory of synergy, where the combined effect of multiple oils may exceed the impact of a single component. The magnitude of the improvement was considered statistically significant.

Regarding subjective experience, participants in the Genius condition reported feeling significantly more alert by the end of the testing session. Perhaps most notably, they reported feeling significantly less fatigued than those in the control group. This buffering against mental exhaustion suggests that the aroma may help maintain stamina during cognitive exertion.

The physiological data gathered via the spectroscopy headbands showed that both aroma conditions led to increased oxygen extraction in the brain during tasks. The level of deoxygenated hemoglobin was significantly higher in the Genius aroma condition compared to the control. This indicates that the brain was extracting and utilizing more oxygen from the blood while the participants were inhaling the blend.

Despite these clear physiological changes, the researchers found no statistical correlation between the increased brain metabolism and the improved cognitive scores. The participants who showed the greatest increase in oxygen utilization were not necessarily the ones who performed best on the tests. This disconnect suggests that while the aroma increases brain energy usage, this mechanism does not directly account for the better test results.

The lack of correlation implies that other mechanisms may be driving the cognitive improvements. One possibility is a pharmacological effect, where chemical compounds from the oils are absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs and cross into the brain. Another potential pathway is direct stimulation of the olfactory bulb, which has neural connections to brain areas involved in memory and emotion.

“The overall message is that aromas of essential oils can provide cheap, safe and accessible options for personal benefit,” Moss told PsyPost. “Inhalation of the ambient aroma of the essential oils we employed here (pure sage and a blend of oils) can positively affect cognition and mood, although only to a relatively small degree.

“Interestingly the reasons why these effects occur are not well understood at this time, and this study looked at one particular possibility. The brain uses a lot of energy when we apply it to completing tests of memory and similar. It is possible that breathing aromas could help the brain in delivering more energy to the tasks in hand. Although we found that increased energy production appeared to take place this was not related to levels of performance on the tasks. Other possible explanations are still to be tested in depth.”

The study, like all research, includes some caveats. The method of delivering the aroma involved a diffuser in a testing cubicle, which means the exact dose inhaled by each participant could vary based on their breathing patterns. This lack of standardization makes it difficult to establish precise dose-response relationships.

Additionally, the study focused on acute effects observed during a single session. It remains unknown whether these benefits would persist with long-term use or if users might develop a tolerance to the aromas.

“Next steps include finding good ways to standardise aroma delivery,” Moss explained. “Currently, it is all rather vague as people breathe at different rates and to different depths. It is hard to know exactly how much aroma is being delivered and this would be very useful to enable dose-response relationships to be identified. I am generally interested in continuing to apply scientific method to investigate effects that often exist as received wisdom.”

The researchers add that while essential oils offer a safe and accessible option for personal benefit, they function best as a complementary aid rather than a standalone medical treatment.

“The effects of aromas are generally relatively small, but beneficial. Don’t over interpret the findings of aroma research,” Moss said. “Aromas are not a panacea. They can be beneficial, generally within a framework of general healthy living. They can be beneficial in healthcare as part of an integrated healthcare system.”

The study, “Aroma of Genius Essential Oil Blend Significantly Enhances Cognitive Performance and Brain Metabolism in Healthy Adults,” was authored by Mark Moss, Jake Howarth, and Holly Moss.