Effects of Rosemary Essential Oil on Human Cognition

NCT07563114 | Active Not Recruiting DMC

• 1 other identifier: 80434324.0.0000.5188
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 63
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Aromatherapy is one of the complementary therapies that is carried out through essential oils. The essential oil of Rosmarinus Officinalis L. (rosemary) has been gaining attention in aromatherapy research, as studies have shown that the use of this oil is one of the promising non-pharmacological therapies for cognition. In this way, inhalation of rosemary essential oil is one of the forms of cognitive intervention across different age groups. The study will aim to analyze the effect of rosemary essential oil, with the following chemotypes: camphor and cineole, on the cognitive performance of adults. Significant differences are expected between the control (placebo) and experimental groups, given that studies in humans have already shown significant effects of rosemary essential oil on cognition. Considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study, participants will be allocated to either the control or experimental group. Consequently, the application of the tests will be carried out neuropsychological tests for the pre-test evaluation, followed by aromatherapy (acute phase) and the reapplication of the tests (post-test phase 1). For 14 days, the participants will chronically use rosemary essential oil and at the end they will participate in the reapplication of the neuropsychological tests (post-test phase 2). For inferential analyses, the ANOVA test or its non-parametric equivalent will be used. In addition, linear regressions may be performed to verify how much the essential oil can predict the outcome of the study's dependent variables. Effect Size will also be calculated. Keywords: Chronic intervention; neuropsychology; aromatherapy.

Conditions

Aromatherapy; Cognition

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (7)

• STROOP TEST

  Unit of measurement: time (seconds)

  Cognitive tests were administered at the following stages: "Before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week after the intervention."

• Subteste Digits of the Test WAIS-III - (Wechsler Adult Scale)

  1a. Maximum raw score: 30 1b. Minimum raw score: 2

  Cognitive tests were administered at the following stages: "Before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week after the intervention."

• Subtest Number and Letter Sequence of the WAIS-III Test - (Wechsler Adult Scale)

  1.0 Measurement Units: raw score 1a. Maximum raw score: 21 1b. Minimum raw score: 0

  Cognitive test were administered at the following times: "Before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week after the intervention."

• Tower of London

  1.0 Measurement Units: raw score 1a. Maximum raw score: 46 1b. Minimum raw score: 0

  Cognitive test were administered at the following times: "Before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week after the intervention."

• Token Test

  1.0 Measurement Units: raw score 1a. Maximum raw score: 36 1b. Minimum raw score: 0

  Cognitive test were administered at the following times: "Before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week after the intervention."

• Corsi Blocks

  1.0 Measurement Units: raw score 1a. Maximum raw score: 30 1b. Minimum raw score: 0

  Cognitive test were administered at the following times: "Before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week after the intervention."

• Hopkins Verbal Learning

  1.0 Measurement Units: raw score 1a. Maximum raw score: 0 1b. Minimum raw score: 36

  Cognitive test were administered at the following times: "Before the intervention (baseline), immediately after the intervention, and 1 week after the intervention."

Study Arms (3)

essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis 1

EXPERIMENTAL

Inhalation of 2 drops of rosemary camphor essential oil for 5 minutes, once a day for 1 week consecutive on a cotton pad followed

Other: rosemary1

Placebo

NO INTERVENTION

Inhalation of 2 drops of sunflower essential oil for 5 minutes, once a day for 1 week consecutive on a cotton pad followed

essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis 2

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Inhalation of 2 drops of rosemary cineol essential oil for 5 minutes, for once a day for 1 week consecutive on a cotton pad followed

Other: rosemary1

Interventions

rosemary1 OTHER

oil essential

essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis 1; essential oil of Rosmarinus officinalis 2

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 59 Years
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• a Healthy adults
• b should be able to inhale the essential oil

You may not qualify if:

• a Neurodegenerative diseases
• b Traumatic brain injury
• c Brain tumors
• d Multiple sclerosis
• e Epileptic seizures
• f Anxiety Disorder
• g Depressive Disorders,
• h Uncontrolled arterial hypertension,
• i nutritional deficiency or thyroid disease.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Federal University of Paraíba: lead

Study Sites (1)

Helô

João Pessoa, Paraíba, 58062-106, Brazil

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator, PhD student in cognitive neuroscience and behavior

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 13, 2026
• First Posted: May 1, 2026
• Study Start: March 1, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026
• Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Locations

BR (1)