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This herb could be a godsend for kids during exam season

Published 14:36 19 May 2017 BST

Niamh Maher
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Do you have kids heading into dreaded exam season? Are you back studying yourself and finding it hard to concentrate? This herb could be perfect for you.

Sales of rosemary are reportedly on the rise after new research found that the herb could help students during exam time. Holland & Barrett have ordered extra stocks of rosemary essential oil after a surge in sales across the UK, Ireland and online. The health food chain believes it could be down to a recent study published by Northumbria University which showed that exposure to the smell of the herb can help to boost memory.   The Northumbria University study saw 40 children given different mental tasks in one of two rooms, one that had rosemary oil diffused in it for 10 minutes and one that had no aroma. Children in the rosemary-scented room gained higher scores than those in the non-scented room, with the biggest difference in scores appearing from a memory test. ITV reports that sales of rosemary oil were up 187% when compared with the same week last year, and up 270% compared with the week before the research was published.    

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