A recent study in an animal model at Saint Louis University found that enhanced extracts made from special antioxidants in spearmint and rosemary improved both learning and memory.

“We found that these proprietary compounds reduce deficits caused by mild cognitive impairment, which can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s disease,” said Susan Farr, Ph.D., research professor geriatrics at Saint Louis University School of Medicine.

Farr also added, “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.”

These early findings were presented at Neuroscience 2013 on Monday, Nov. 11. Farr tested an antioxidant based ingredient made from spearmint extract and two different doses of a similar antioxidant made from rosemary extract on mice that had age-related cognitive decline.

She discovered that the higher dose of the rosemary extract compound was the most powerful in improving memory and learning in three different tested behaviors. The lower dose of rosemary extract improved memory in two of the behavioral tests, as did the compound made from spearmint extract as well.

There were also signs of reduced oxidative stress, which is considered a hallmark of age-related decline, in the portion of the brain that controls learning and memory.

“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.”

The research, supported by the VA Medical Center in St. Louis, was conducted in conjunction with Kemin Industries, which manufactures specialty ingredients for vitamin and dietary supplements that can be added to food to enhance its nutritional value and health benefits.