Are Rosemary and Sage the Future of Alzheimer’s Treatment?

New research shows that rosemary has more benefits than just enhancing the aroma and flavor of your next roast. It turns out that it may also serve as a secret ingredient in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease, too.

In February, researchers from The Scripps Research Institute published findings from their study on a new compound called diAcCA, which they designed as an oral medication that could one day hopefully help treat Alzheimer’s disease. As the researchers explain, diAcCA is derived from carnosic acid (CA), a natural antioxidant found in rosemary and sage, which is already known to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress—two factors strongly linked to Alzheimer’s progression in previous studies. 

The authors explained in a statement that carnosic acid works by activating enzymes in the body’s “natural defense system.” In its purest state, this acid is too unstable to serve as a viable drug therapy. However, they managed to create a stable form known as diAcCA, which they noted, once consumed, converts to carnosic acid in the gut and is then absorbed into the bloodstream. 

Their work, published in the journal Antioxidants, demonstrated that in mouse models, diAcCA could deliver therapeutic doses of carnosic acid to the brain, resulting in improved “memory and synaptic density.” Their analysis also revealed a significant decrease in inflammation in the brain following treatment.

“By combating inflammation and oxidative stress with this diAcCA compound, we actually increased the number of synapses in the brain,” Stuart Lipton, MD, PhD, senior author and professor at Scripps, shared. “We also took down other misfolded or aggregated proteins such as phosphorylated-tau and amyloid-β, which are thought to trigger Alzheimer’s disease and serve as biomarkers of the disease process.”

And perhaps most compelling of all, the scientists noted that the drug is activated solely by the inflammation it targets, making it active only in areas of the brain that combat inflammatory damage, thereby limiting side effects.

“We did multiple different tests of memory, and they were all improved with the drug,” Lipton added. “And it didn’t just slow down the decline; it improved virtually back to normal.” 

There’s also more good news for these researchers. They noted that carnosic acid is already listed on the US Food and Drug Administration’s “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) list, which could make clinical trials involving humans easier to conduct, as the ingredient itself wouldn’t require additional FDA approval. 

According to Lipton, DiAcCA has the potential to work well in tandem with other Alzheimer’s treatments, adding that “it could make existing amyloid antibody treatments work better by taking away or limiting their side effects.” He is not stopping at Alzheimer’s, though. Lipton hopes to explore its use for other inflammatory disorders, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Parkinson’s disease in the future as well.