Peppermint tea tested against for memory and cognition
In a release from the British Psychological Society’s Annual Conference in Nottingham, researchers have found that peppermint tea can immediately increase short- and long-term memory.
The researchers, Dr. Mark Moss, Robert Jones and Lucy Moss from the UK’s Northumbria University, tested 180 healthy people. They were randomly selected to drink peppermint tea, chamomile tea or hot water. Before they consumed the tea, the researchers gave all the subjects questionnaires that rated their moods. Then twenty minutes after drinking the teas or water, they were tested with another questionnaire that measured their short and long term memories and other cognitive functions.
The researchers found that the peppermint tea significantly improved long term memory of the subjects. Peppermint tea also increased working memory and alertness compared to the other drinks.
Contrasting the peppermint tea, those who drank the chamomile tea showed a reduction of attention and memory compared to the peppermint tea and the hot water group.