Does rosemary help with memory? Medieval Europeans thought so, and it turns out there was scientific merit to those claims. So says scientist Elizabeth Floyd, who will lead a discussion of her groundbreaking research on the effects of herbs and other plants on health tonight, Thursday, January 26, at 6:30 p.m. at the Burden Conference Center on Essen Lane. The Baton Rouge Herb Unit of the Herb Society of America will host Floyd’s talk on her work at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

It is common belief that herbs and plants contain certain health benefits, and Floyd and other researchers at Pennington are conducting tests to see if the claims are valid on treating diseases and improving health. For example, modern research has shown that rosemary does in fact help improve memory of people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Floyd will discuss these findings and more at the meeting, which is free and open to the public. Refreshments will also be served.