Summer 2016 • northumbria.ac.uk •
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HEALTH
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The herbs that can boost your mood and memory New research from Northumbria University has revealed that peppermint, chamomile, rosemary and lavender have an impact on mood and memory, with significant benefits displayed for older people.
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esearchers from the University’s Department of Psychology have undertaken a number of studies into the effects of herbs and substances on mood and memory. Previously, they have found that sage, ginseng, lemon balm and gingko biloba can all have positive effects on improving mental performance, and their latest research has found that drinking peppermint tea improves alertness, while chamomile tea has a calming effect. They have also found that smelling the aromas of rosemary and lavender impacted on memory in people over 65, with the scent of rosemary enhancing their memory, while lavender impaired it. Dr Mark Moss, Head of the Department of Psychology, said: “Peppermint has a reputation for being psychologically or mentally alerting. It picks you up and makes you feel a little bit brighter, so we endeavoured to test this out by giving people peppermint tea, or chamomile tea, which is a more calming drink, and then put them through some computerised tests. We found that those people who had drunk the peppermint tea had better long-term memory. They were able to remember more words and pictures that they had seen. In contrast, the people who had the chamomile were slower in responding to tasks. “Rosemary, meanwhile, has a reputation about being associated with memory. Even Shakespeare
Chamomile tea
said ‘rosemary is for remembrance,’ and it’s also associated with being invigorating. We have found that people are more alert after being in a room that has rosemary aroma in it. We tested prospective memory – our ability to remember to do something – on people over 65 years of age, to see if we could improve their ability and we found that rosemary could do that. This is potentially very important because prospective memory, for example, enables you to remember to take your medication at certain times of the day. “It is interesting to see the contrasting effects that different herbs can have on both mood and memory, and our research suggests that that they could have beneficial effects, particularly in older age groups. If you were otherwise healthy then this research suggests that there is an opportunity to have an improved memory.” The findings were presented at the annual British Psychological Society Conference and received widespread media coverage. They are further evidence supporting Northumbria’s top 20 ranking for its research in psychology in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, which measures the quality of research undertaken at UK universities.
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Montmorency cherry juice
Health research with a real impact With over five million people in England suffering from high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, stroke or dementia, researchers from Northumbria University have been looking at how natural products might be used to treat the illness.
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n recent years the University has undertaken a number of studies into the health benefits of tart Montmorency cherry concentrate. Northumbria researchers have found that drinking the concentrate improves the quality and quantity of sleep. It also significantly reduces the symptoms associated with gout and enhances the recovery of muscle function after intense exercise, probably due to its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties. They have now found that the juice can also reduce high blood pressure at a level comparable to that normally achieved by medication. As part of the study, half the participants were given 60ml of a Montmorency cherry concentrate and the other half received the same amount of a commercially available fruit-flavoured cordial. Blood pressure, blood samples and other cardiovascular screening tests were taken before and after the drinks were consumed. Normal blood pressure is around 120/80 mmHg. All participants in the study had readings of at least 130/90 mmHg,
meaning they were at higher risk of experiencing cardiovascular related problems. The researchers found that those who were given the cherry concentrate saw a 7% reduction in blood pressure when compared to those drinking a fruit-flavoured cordial. This reduction is comparable to the level achieved by antihypertensive medication. Past studies have shown that a reduction of between 5-6% over a sustained period is associated with a 38% reduced risk of stroke and 23% reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Lead author and lecturer in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, Karen Keane, explained: “The majority of cardiovascular disease is caused by risk factors that can be controlled, treated or modified, such as high blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, tobacco use, lack of physical activity and diabetes. Raised blood pressure is the leading cause of deaths from cardiovascular disease, yet relatively small reductions in blood pressure can have a large impact on mortality rates.
“The magnitude of the blood pressure lowering effects we observed was comparable to those achieved by a single anti-hypertensive drug and highlights the potential importance that Montmorency cherries could have in the effective management of high blood pressure.” The study, published in the worldleading American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is yet another example of Northumbria University’s impressive track record of conducting groundbreaking multi-disciplinary research projects. The University is committed to undertaking research has impact, which contributed to Northumbria achieving the biggest increase in research power of any university in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework. Scan code to watch video
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