Healthy Adults

Joyce Cristina Freitas et al. (2026) · Lasers in medical science

This randomized, sham-controlled trial with 48 physically active young men (45 analyzed for performance, aged 18 to 35) at a Brazilian university explored whether photobiomodulation (PBM) and osteopathic manipulation (OM) change recovery after exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). PBM applies red light from light-emitting diodes to the skin, a process the authors link to mitochondrial energy production in muscle fibers. OM is a manual therapy; here it meant high-velocity low-amplitude thrusts, quick, small-range joint manipulations. EIMD is the inflammation, strength loss and raised creatine kinase (CK, an enzyme leaking from damaged muscle fibers) that follow unaccustomed jumping or lowering exercise, usually peaking 24 to 72 hours later. Participants were randomized to placebo, PBM, OM, or PBM plus OM, 12 per group. PBM meant a 650 nm red light device pressed against 16 points on the right thigh and calf (144 joules in total, about 8 minutes). OM meant a lumbar roll and a pelvic manipulation by an osteopath. Both were given once before 100 drop jumps from a 50 cm platform, with sham versions for blinding. CK, quadriceps strength, knee flexibility and horizontal jump distance were measured before, right after, and at 24, 48 and 72 hours. The groups did not differ statistically on any outcome (CK group effect p = 0.950; strength p = 0.283; jump p = 0.199, meaning no measurable difference between the four arms). Within groups, CK rose immediately after exercise in placebo (p = 0.01) and OM (p = 0.02), but only at 24 hours in PBM and PBM plus OM, and the combined group showed a significant fall by 72 hours (p = 0.001, suggesting faster clearance of the damage marker). Strength dropped 6.3% to 12.4% after exercise; in exploratory tests the combined group regained significant strength by 48 hours (p = 0.036) and sat 1.4% from baseline. Jump distance rose 8.5 to 11.9 cm in all groups. CK did not track functional recovery. No adverse events were reported. The authors describe a possible modest, complementary benefit of combining the two approaches, while labeling the strength trend exploratory and non-significant. Limitations include 12 participants per group, a single session, only young men, red light that penetrates tissue less deeply than near-infrared light, and no formal check of blinding. Findings apply to physically active young men under acute jumping stress. The authors propose testing other light wavelengths and doses, repeated sessions, and a broader osteopathic approach in future trials.

Yang Zhu et al. (2026) · PeerJ

This systematic review and meta-analysis pooled 22 randomized controlled trials with 375 mostly male participants to ask when, if at all, a single cold-water immersion (CWI) after exercise helps muscles recover. CWI means immersing the body, from navel depth up to the neck, in water of roughly 5 to 20 degrees C for about 6 to 20 minutes. Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is the loss of force, soreness and raised creatine kinase (CK, a blood marker leaking from stressed muscle cells) that follows hard or unaccustomed exercise, often with delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Earlier reviews mixed time points, so this one separated results at 0, 24, 48 and 72 hours. The included trials enrolled healthy non-athletes and athletes aged about 16 to 49, who exercised with intervals, simulated matches, distance running or heavy eccentric lifting. After exercise, one group sat in cold water and the comparison group rested seated for a similar time. Researchers measured maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC, the hardest possible static muscle squeeze), countermovement jump (CMJ, jump height as a gauge of explosive power), CK, and soreness on a visual analog scale (VAS, a line marked from no pain to worst pain). Maximal strength was unchanged by CWI (g = 0.08, 95% CI -0.11 to 0.26, p = 0.42; a negligible effect) at every time point. Jump performance was worse immediately afterward (g = -0.68, p = 0.01; a medium-sized drop) and showed no difference by 24 to 48 hours (g = 0.38 at 24 h, p = 0.06; g = 0.06 at 48 h, p = 0.68). CK looked lower after CWI (g = -0.43, p < 0.001; a small effect), but the result shrank to non-significance after correcting for likely missing small studies (g = -0.16, 95% CI -0.44 to 0.12; the original benefit was probably overestimated). Soreness was lower (g = -0.58, p = 0.006; a medium effect), though the trials disagreed widely (I² = 87%) and the certainty of evidence was rated very low. The evidence has clear limits: 362 of 375 participants were male, participants could not be blinded to cold water, several trials were tiny, and only one immersion with follow-up of 72 hours or less was studied. The authors suggest the soreness effect is the most plausible benefit and the temporary jump decrement is the main drawback. Repeated use during training and its effect on muscle adaptation were not examined, and they call for larger trials that include women and standardize temperature and duration.

Adrian L Lopresti et al. (2022) · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 62 recreationally active adults tested whether a standardized saffron extract changes how much people enjoy exercise, how they feel, how they sleep and how their heart rate varies. Saffron comes from the dried stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower, and its extract affron® is standardized to contain safranal and crocin, compounds studied for mood-enhancing effects at about 28-30 mg a day in adults with low mood or anxiety. Heart rate variability (HRV), the beat-to-beat variation in heart rate, serves as a marker of the body's calming parasympathetic activity. Adults aged 18 to 65 who exercised more than three times a week were randomly assigned for six weeks to take either 14 mg of saffron extract or a matching placebo tablet twice daily (28 mg of saffron a day). They kept exercising as usual. The main measure was the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale, an 18-item questionnaire. The team also tracked mood with a 40-item survey, sleep and HRV with a WHOOP wrist strap, and blood levels of three brain-related chemicals at the start and end. Across everyone, saffron did not beat placebo on any measure (exercise enjoyment p = 0.276, mood p = 0.787, HRV p = 0.502, sleep time p = 0.598, meaning no real difference between groups). Enjoyment did climb within the saffron group, from 107.99 to 114.44 points (p = 0.001), but placebo also drifted upward. In an exploratory split by sex, the 22 men on saffron gained more enjoyment than the 15 men on placebo (113.81 versus 106.20 points, p = 0.009), and their HRV rose about 9% while placebo men's fell 5.7% (p = 0.001). No such differences appeared in the 9 women on saffron or the 16 on placebo. Side effects were mild and uncommon. The authors describe the male-only findings as preliminary, since the groups were small and uneven by sex, and the headline result was null. Healthy, already-active volunteers may leave little room for improvement, women's hormonal cycle phase was not controlled, and the wrist-worn tracker is less precise than laboratory sleep and heart measures. They recommend larger trials with varied doses and durations.

Teresa Vezza et al. (2024) · Nutrients

This randomized trial with 66 healthy volunteers explored whether a daily capsule combining garlic powder and a concentrated onion extract lowers LDL cholesterol, the "bad" cholesterol that builds up in artery walls and drives heart and blood vessel disease. Medicines such as statins are usually kept for people with clearly raised LDL cholesterol or several risk factors, so people with slight elevations are generally pointed toward diet and lifestyle changes. Garlic and onion contain organosulfur compounds (sulfur-rich plant chemicals), which the authors say are linked to cholesterol-lowering, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. To the authors' knowledge, human research had mostly looked at garlic alone, and none had combined the two plants in one capsule. Volunteers living in Granada, Spain, with LDL cholesterol between 100 and 190 mg/dL were split at random into two groups of 33. One group took a capsule called Aliocare daily with lunch, holding 86 mg of onion extract and 14 mg of garlic powder, and the other took an identical-looking placebo of plain cellulose. Neither participants nor researchers knew who received which. Blood samples and blood pressure were checked at the start and after 2, 4 and 8 weeks, including markers of oxidation and inflammation, liver and kidney function. After 8 weeks, LDL cholesterol was 6% lower in the capsule group (4% lower at 4 weeks), and total cholesterol about 6% lower. Among those starting above 110 mg/dL, LDL cholesterol dropped 12% by week 8. Triglycerides (blood fats) also fell, while good HDL cholesterol stayed unchanged and glucose did not differ. Oxidized LDL, a form of LDL damaged by oxidation and linked to artery disease, fell about 32% by week 8. Blood pressure was about 5% lower, and no adverse events were reported, with liver and kidney tests staying in the normal range. Compliance exceeded 95%, and participants did not guess their group assignment. Interleukin-6, an inflammation marker, tended to fall with the capsule without reaching significance, and malondialdehyde, another oxidation marker, did not differ. The authors conclude the capsule was safe and improved several heart-related measures, and they suggest garlic and onion may act together, though the study did not test each plant separately. They state plainly that the volunteers were mostly young with LDL cholesterol at the low end of the range, the pandemic limited recruitment, the sample was small and the 8-week duration short. The authors add that recruiting under different conditions would likely have produced higher baseline values and more robust results. They plan larger, longer studies in people with higher LDL cholesterol.

Nayon Hur et al. (2026) · Nutrients

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 112 women explored whether an oral Centella asiatica extract, taken as a daily tablet, changes measurable signs of skin aging. Centella asiatica, also called gotu kola, is traditionally used in Asian and Ayurvedic medicine for wound healing and skin problems. Skin aging here means deeper wrinkles, lower hydration, a weaker skin barrier (measured as water loss through the skin, TEWL) and less elasticity. The authors note that evidence for taking Centella by mouth for skin was limited and often based on small or subjective studies. Women aged 30 to 60 with visible crow's feet and fairly dry cheek skin were randomly assigned in Seoul to take either 200 mg a day of a standardized leaf extract (InnerCica, with asiaticoside as the marker compound) or an identical placebo for 12 weeks. Neither participants nor assessors knew who received which. Wrinkle depth, volume and roughness were measured with 3D skin imaging, and hydration, TEWL, elasticity and skin color with non-invasive probes at baseline, 6 and 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, average wrinkle depth fell by 5.87 micrometres with the extract versus 1.96 with placebo (p = 0.018; an 11.1% drop from the extract group's baseline). The deepest wrinkle, wrinkle volume and roughness also improved more than with placebo. Cheek hydration rose and cheek water loss fell more with the extract (p < 0.001 and p = 0.005), but gains in elasticity and brightness were only about 0.7%, which the authors call modest. Three mild adverse events (one extract, two placebo) were judged unrelated, and blood tests stayed normal. The authors treat wrinkle depth as the confirmed result and everything else as supportive. They note the study included only women, tested one dose for 12 weeks, did not measure how the extract might work, and did not adjust for testing many outcomes, so long-term effects remain unknown. They call for longer, more diverse studies.

José de Oliveira Vilar Neto et al. (2025) · Nutrients

This systematic review of 10 clinical studies (483 men in total) examined whether Tribulus terrestris supplements improve erectile dysfunction (ED, difficulty achieving or keeping an erection) and testosterone levels. Tribulus is a plant used for centuries in India and China as a sexual stimulant. Its steroidal saponins (plant compounds with hormone-like structure) are proposed to raise testosterone and to boost nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes blood vessels and supports erections, though the authors note the mechanism is not fully understood. The review asked whether the evidence supports either claim, and it looked at men with and without low testosterone. Researchers searched 13 databases for studies in which men took Tribulus on its own, without other supplements or drugs. Ten studies qualified: nine clinical trials and one study without a control group, conducted in Egypt, Bulgaria, Brazil, Australia, India, China and Spain. Participants were aged 16 to 70: healthy men, men with ED (some also with low testosterone), and men with low sperm counts or unexplained infertility. Doses ran from 400 mg to 12 g per day for 4 weeks to 3 months. Study quality was graded with the Jadad scale, a 5-point checklist of randomization, blinding and dropouts. Three of the five studies that measured erectile function found improvement, and all three enrolled men with ED. One trial using 500 mg daily for 3 months raised International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) scores against placebo, with significance already at 4 weeks (p = 0.0119) and stronger by the end (p < 0.0001). Eight of ten studies found no significant testosterone change, and those men did not have low testosterone at the start. Two studies in men with low testosterone found rises of about 58 to 71 ng/dL (27 to 33%), a small increase in clinical terms (roughly from 215 to 273 and 213 to 284 ng/dL), and both scored poorly for methodological quality (Jadad 2 and 0). None of the studies reported side effects, and lipid and liver tests showed no impairment. The authors conclude that evidence for improved erectile function at 400 to 750 mg per day is of low level and that no solid evidence shows Tribulus raises testosterone. Half of the studies had a high risk of bias, samples were small, saponin content varied between products, and no meta-analysis was possible. The authors state that Tribulus is not a substitute for first-line treatment of severe ED and call for well-controlled randomized trials to define dose and duration, including trials in men with low testosterone.

Luis González-Gómez et al. (2025) · European journal of pain (London, England)

This systematic review and meta-analysis asked a practical question for people with chronic low back pain (CLBP, pain lasting more than three months): if you had to choose between exercise therapy and hands-on manual therapy alone, which works better? Clinical guidelines actually recommend combining both approaches with psychological support, but in real clinics, people often receive just one or the other, so the researchers pooled every trial that tested exercise against manual therapy head-to-head, without either being combined with the other. After a comprehensive search of five research databases, the researchers found six qualifying randomized trials, covering 743 people with CLBP total, published between 2007 and 2022. The exercise treatments ranged from general aerobic and strengthening exercise to specific 'motor control' exercises that retrain deep core muscles; the manual therapies ranged from joint mobilization and massage to formal osteopathic and chiropractic spinal manipulation. The researchers combined the trial results statistically and also checked whether results changed depending on how long people had been followed up, and whether patient characteristics like age or sex explained some of the differences. Overall, there was no clear winner. For pain relief, exercise and manual therapy performed about the same across all six trials, though when two trials involving chiropractic or osteopathic-style manipulation were set aside, manual therapy showed a small edge in the first three months. For disability (how much back pain limits a person's daily activities), the two treatments were also similar in the short and medium term, but exercise therapy showed a small advantage after six months or longer. Neither treatment stood out for physical function, based on the two trials that measured it. Notably, trials with more women in them tended to show exercise working somewhat better for disability but manual therapy working somewhat better for pain, and older participants tended to respond somewhat better to exercise for pain — though these are patterns across studies, not conclusions about any one person. The researchers rate the overall quality of this evidence as very low, mainly because there are still very few well-designed trials that isolate exercise from manual therapy without mixing the two, and the studies used inconsistent doses and often didn't fully describe what patients actually received. Their bottom line is that picking exercise or manual therapy alone is not clearly better-supported than the other, and that combining exercise, manual therapy, and psychological support, as major clinical guidelines already recommend, remains the better-evidenced path rather than choosing one alone.

Uttam Kumar et al. (2021) · Scientific reports

This cross-sectional study with 50 male participants explored whether decades of intensive oral memorization can leave a lasting signature on brain structure. It compared 25 Hindu Vedic pandits -- priests and scholars trained from childhood to recite over 20,000 Sanskrit mantras and verses from memory -- against 25 closely matched non-pandit controls. Vedic recitation follows a strict oral tradition (shruti-parampara): hymns are learned entirely by ear, using several formal recitation methods that reorder and repeat words to lock in exact pronunciation and sequence. The study asked which brain regions differ after such training -- regions governing memory, breath control, and precise speech articulation. Fifty right-handed men aged 21-28 took part: 25 pandits who began Vedic schooling around age ten and had logged nearly 17,750 hours of recitation training, and 25 controls matched for age, Sanskrit fluency, and general intelligence. All participants completed a 3-Tesla structural MRI brain scan, analyzed for grey- and white-matter volume, cortical thickness, and the folding pattern (gyrification) of the brain's surface. Memory was measured with the PGI-Memory Scale, a tool standardized for Indian populations covering immediate recall, attention, and retention. Pandits recalled significantly more information immediately after learning it than controls (a score of 11.2 versus 8.7, a large and statistically reliable gap), and this recall advantage tracked closely with the volume of grey matter in the thalamus (more volume, better recall). Brain scans showed pandits had more grey matter in the midbrain, pons, thalamus, and right frontal and pallidum regions -- areas tied to auditory processing, breath regulation, and sustained attention. They also had more white matter near the hippocampus and in frontal and temporal regions supporting memory consolidation, a thicker cortex in areas linked to emotional processing (temporal pole) and memory retrieval (caudate), and more surface folding in regions that coordinate speech articulation (insula, supplementary motor area). The longer a pandit had spent teaching Vedic recitation after training, the more grey matter he had in the angular gyrus, a region tied to retrieving well-learned verbal material. The authors interpret these differences as reflecting the specific mental and physical demands of Vedic training -- precise auditory memory, controlled breathing, and articulate speech -- rather than a single, generic meditation effect. Because the study compared existing groups at one point in time rather than tracking pandits before and after training, it cannot rule out that people with certain brain traits were more likely to complete Vedic schooling in the first place. The sample was small, male-only, and drawn from one religious and linguistic community, limiting how broadly the findings apply.

Maryam Farahmand et al. (2020) · BMC complementary medicine and therapies

This randomized controlled trial with 84 women explored whether Echium amoenum (EA) — a purple-flowered herb known in Persian medicine as "Gol-e-gavzaban" and used since antiquity for mood and nervous-system complaints — could ease premenstrual syndrome (PMS). PMS is the recurring mix of mood, physical, and behavioral symptoms that shows up in the two weeks before a period, affecting an estimated 80-90% of women of reproductive age. EA is a relative of borage traditionally credited with calming and anti-inflammatory effects, governing how the body responds to hormonal shifts across the menstrual cycle. Researchers recruited 84 Iranian college students, aged 20 to 35, who met diagnostic criteria for PMS, and randomly assigned them to take either an EA extract capsule (450 mg per day, split into three doses) or an identical-looking placebo, for 10 days each cycle across two menstrual cycles. Severity was tracked with the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), a validated 19-question survey covering mood, physical symptoms, and how much they disrupted daily life, completed before treatment and after each cycle. By the second treatment cycle, women taking EA saw their average PSST score drop from 35.3 to 16.1 — more than double the improvement seen with placebo, which fell only from 31.0 to 28.3 (a reduction 11.6 points greater than placebo, 95% CI -14.7 to -8.5, p<0.001, meaning the difference is very unlikely to be chance). The benefit was already emerging after just one cycle (a 6.2-point edge over placebo, p=0.001). Every symptom tracked — irritability, anxiety, tearfulness, fatigue, and more — improved significantly more with EA than placebo, with anxiety and tearfulness showing the strongest response. Overeating and trouble concentrating improved the least, though still meaningfully more than placebo. Side effects were minimal: three women on placebo reported nausea, compared with none on EA, suggesting the herb was well tolerated over the two-cycle course. For women looking for a non-hormonal option to manage PMS, these findings offer encouraging early evidence that EA can meaningfully reduce symptom severity within one to two cycles, with mood symptoms responding best. That said, this was a single trial in college students over just two cycles, relying on self-reported symptoms, so the results may not generalize broadly. Larger, longer trials examining EA's active compounds and optimal dosing are still needed before it can be recommended with confidence.

Hiroko Ochiai et al. (2025) · Scientific reports

This randomized controlled trial with 78 healthy men aged 40 to 70 explored whether walking through a forest affects immune function differently than walking through a city. The researchers focused on secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), an antibody found in saliva that forms part of the body's mucosal immune system — the first line of defense lining the nose, mouth, and airways against viruses and bacteria. They also tracked cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, and mood, on the idea that stress and immune function are closely linked through the body's hormonal stress-response system. Eighty-four participants were randomly assigned to a 90-minute guided walk, either along a certified forest-therapy trail in a Tokyo forest park or an equivalent route through Tokyo's Ginza shopping district, walked in two 45-minute segments with a shared lunch. Guides kept pace, distance, and rest breaks consistent between groups and encouraged participants to engage their senses with surroundings appropriate to each setting. Saliva and blood were sampled before and after walking to measure sIgA, cortisol, and related markers, and mood was measured with the POMS2 questionnaire. Forest walking significantly increased salivary sIgA compared with urban walking (adjusted difference +32.1 µg/mL, 95% CI 2.3–62.0, meaning a real, though modest, immune-marker boost; p = .035). Cortisol dropped significantly more after the forest walk (p = .007, indicating a stronger stress-hormone reduction), and dopamine — linked to pleasure and motivation — rose more as well (p = .048). Mood benefited too: participants felt more energized (higher Vigor-Activity, p = .001) and less generally distressed (lower Total Mood Disturbance, p = .007) after the forest walk than after the urban walk. Interestingly, white blood cells and certain immune cell counts (CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) rose more after the urban walk, which the researchers link to the body reacting to city air pollution rather than a benefit of urban walking. No one experienced side effects, and everyone who started the walks finished them. These results suggest a single, unhurried forest walk can meaningfully support immune defenses and lower stress compared with an identical walk in the city, at an activity level gentle enough for most adults. The study only tested one walking session in healthy middle-aged and older Japanese men, so it can't say whether the benefits build with regular practice or extend to other groups. Participants and staff also knew which environment they were in, which could shape self-reported mood. Still, it adds solid evidence that time in nature is a low-risk way to support wellbeing.

Imran Amjad et al. (2025) · PloS one

This pragmatic randomized controlled trial with 106 adults explored whether chiropractic spinal adjustments change measurable biological markers, not just how patients feel. Researchers tracked three systems: neuroplasticity (the nervous system's capacity to adapt, measured via brain-derived neurotrophic factor or BDNF — a protein that supports brain and nerve health), stress response (measured through cortisol, the body's primary stress hormone, sampled from blood, saliva, and hair), and inflammation (tracked via cytokines like IL-6 and TNF-α, signaling proteins immune cells use to coordinate the body's inflammatory response). The goal was to see whether chiropractic care's known benefits for pain and function might trace back to changes at this biological level. Pain-free adults aged 20-60 with a history of recurrent (subclinical) spinal discomfort were randomly assigned to 12 weeks of chiropractic spinal manipulation — delivered about three times weekly by a registered chiropractor — or a closely matched sham procedure with no actual spinal thrust. Eighty-eight of the 106 enrolled completed the 12-week assessment. Blood, saliva, and hair samples were analyzed via laboratory immunoassay at baseline, 12 weeks, and a 16-week follow-up. Blinding worked well: 94% of participants in both groups believed they had received real chiropractic care. After 12 weeks, the chiropractic group showed meaningfully higher blood BDNF (up 150 units, p=0.009 — a strong statistical signal this wasn't due to chance) and higher IL-6 (p<0.001) than the sham group, alongside lower TNF-α at both 12 and 16 weeks (p=0.023 and p=0.028). The researchers interpret the IL-6 rise not as harmful inflammation but as a "myokine" effect — the same kind of signal muscles release after exercise — since it appeared alongside lower TNF-α and IFN-γ, the markers more classically tied to harmful inflammation. By 16 weeks, blood cortisol and IFN-γ were lower in the chiropractic group than sham, though this reflected the sham group's levels rising over that period more than a further chiropractic effect. Markers like CRP and several immune cell counts (CD4, CD8, CD56) showed no clear group differences. Only five participants reported mild, short-lived muscle soreness; no other adverse events occurred. This is among the first studies to track chiropractic's biological effects over months rather than single sessions, offering a possible mechanism — neuroplasticity, stress-hormone, and inflammation changes — behind chiropractic's reported clinical benefits. But the effects were modest, confidence intervals were wide, and the single-site Pakistani sample of 88 completers, with over 30% dropout by 16 weeks, limits how far these findings generalize. Larger trials that connect these biomarker shifts to actual pain relief and function are the next step.

Katarzyna Janda et al. (2020) · Nutrients

This systematic review pooled nine randomised clinical trials to ask whether passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) helps with anxiety, sleep and related neuropsychiatric symptoms. Passionflower is a perennial climbing vine whose aerial parts, flowers and fruit are used medicinally, and whose activity is attributed to flavonoids such as apigenin and luteolin and to flavonoid glycosides including vitexin and isovitexin. The European Medicines Agency recognised it as a medicinal product in a 2014 herbal monograph. The review frames the problem as stress — the body's response to physical and psychological stressors, which becomes pathological when prolonged and can impair concentration and memory. The authors searched PubMed, Embase and ClinicalTrials.gov to October 2019 and screened 417 records down to nine trials run between 2017 and 2019, five of them in Iran. Participants were all adults, between 16 and 128 per trial, and eight of the nine trials enrolled healthy volunteers rather than diagnosed patients. Preparations varied widely — drops, tablets, syrup, a standardised extract and herbal tea — over periods from a single day to 30 days. Anxiety was measured with instruments including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Corah Dental Anxiety Scale, sedation with the Ramsey scale, and sleep with polysomnography. Most trials found reduced anxiety, though the benefit was smaller in people whose anxiety was mild to begin with. In generalised anxiety disorder, 45 drops daily for 28 days matched oxazepam without impairing work performance. Before surgery, 500 mg tablets lowered anxiety more than oxazepam, and a 700 mg per 5 mL syrup given 30 minutes before spinal anaesthesia reduced anxiety with haemodynamics unchanged. Compared with midazolam before wisdom-tooth extraction, 260 mg gave similar calming with markedly less somnolence (50% versus 82.5%) and no amnesia at all, against 20% on midazolam — although more participants would still choose midazolam again (52% versus 27.5%), which the authors attribute to that same amnesia preventing negative memories. Herbal tea drunk nightly for a week improved self-reported sleep quality by 5.2% over placebo. No adverse effects, memory loss or collapse of psychometric function were reported anywhere in the review. The practical reading is that passionflower performs comparably to two established sedatives for procedural anxiety, with a different side-effect profile — less somnolence, no amnesia — which may matter where alertness is wanted afterwards. The evidence is genuinely limited, though: nine small trials, too heterogeneous to pool statistically, three of them rated low quality, and most never recorded which part of the plant was used. Its anxiolytic action is thought to work through the GABA system. Larger trials across more varied populations are needed before firm dosing guidance is possible.

Nathalie Schicktanz et al. (2025) · Brain and behavior

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 40 completers explored whether Ze 91019, a fixed extract combination of valerian root (Valeriana officinalis) and hops (Humulus lupulus), could improve sleep in adults with occasional insomnia — sleep disturbances happening once or twice a week rather than a full clinical insomnia diagnosis — without the grogginess or memory problems that often accompany prescription sleep medications like benzodiazepines. Valerian and hops are long-used botanical sleep aids; in this fixed combination they are thought to act on the brain's adenosine system, the same pathway caffeine blocks, which governs how sleepy or alert the brain feels. Forty-one healthy adults aged 18-65 with occasional sleep problems and subjective cognitive complaints were randomized at the University of Basel, Switzerland, to either Ze 91019 or placebo for 21 nights, after a 21-day baseline period. Each night, participants took one tablet, 500 mg valerian extract plus 120 mg hops extract, about an hour before bed. A Fitbit Charge 5 wristband tracked sleep duration and heart rate continuously, while daily online tests measured reaction time and working memory (digit span backward), and visual analog scales captured mood, stress, tiredness, and sleep quality. The study design itself worked well, with adherence above 89% for surveys and medication and above 96% for the wearable tracker. Compared with placebo, Ze 91019 increased average nightly sleep duration by 21.7 minutes (p = 0.019, a small-to-moderate effect) and lengthened time in bed by 24.4 minutes (p = 0.023). The benefit was largest on each person's shortest night of sleep, where Ze 91019 added 48.7 minutes of sleep versus placebo (p = 0.016), suggesting the extract may help most when sleep is already restricted. Despite the sleep gains, daytime reaction time, working memory, and self-rated mood, stress, and cognitive performance did not differ significantly between groups (p ≥ 0.26), meaning the extra sleep did not translate into measurable next-day cognitive or emotional change. Twenty-nine mild-to-moderate adverse events occurred overall, somewhat more often with Ze 91019 than placebo, but the difference was not statistically significant, and no serious adverse events occurred. These results support Ze 91019 as a generally well-tolerated option for occasional sleep difficulty that does not appear to blunt next-day thinking or mood, unlike many conventional hypnotics. However, this was explicitly a feasibility study with no formal power calculation, exploratory statistics, and only 40 completers at a single site, so the sleep-duration effect needs confirmation in a larger, adequately powered trial. Because valerian and hops were tested only as a fixed combination, the individual contribution of each herb remains unclear, and longer studies are needed to see whether cognitive benefits emerge over time.

Madhu Pandey et al. (2025) · Annals of neurosciences

This study explores the therapeutic benefits of 'Vancharya', a nature-based intervention, on the bio-field of young adults. The research involved 50 participants and aimed to assess the impact of this ancient practice on various subtle energy systems, revealing significant improvements in energy metrics and overall well-being. The findings suggest that 'Vancharya' could serve as a valuable therapeutic option for enhancing mental health among young adults. The study employed a non-experimental single-group pre- and post-research design with a sample size of 50 college students aged 17-19. Participants engaged in a seven-day intervention that included activities such as alternate nostril breathing, tree hugging, and listening to bird sounds, all conducted in a mango orchard setting. Outcomes were measured using a Biowell machine, which assessed parameters like aura field, chakra alignment, and stress levels before and after the intervention. Each session lasted one hour and occurred daily for seven consecutive days. Results indicated significant improvements in the aura field (AF: M pre = 36.94, M post = 44.82, t = −12.40, p < .001), overall chakra alignment (OCA: M pre = 63.52, M post = 79.72, t = −7.44, p < .001), and overall chakra energy (OCE: M pre = 4.16, M post = 5.07, t = −8.44, p < .001). However, stress levels (SL: M pre = 6.79, M post = 5.58, p = 1.000) and overall energy levels (OEL: M pre = 45.61, M post = 49.38, p = .133) did not show significant changes. Participants reported qualitative improvements such as enhanced emotional stability and clarity of thought, with no adverse events noted during the study. The findings suggest that 'Vancharya' may enhance emotional regulation and sleep quality among young adults, making it a potential addition to wellness programs aimed at addressing mental health issues. However, the study's limitations, including a small sample size and the lack of significant changes in stress levels, highlight the need for further research. The authors propose 'Vancharya' as a candidate component of mental health interventions, and call for longer intervention durations and more diverse populations to validate these results and understand the mechanisms involved.

Vinu Vijayakumar et al. (2024) · F1000Research

This preliminary study aimed to investigate the duration of biofield experiences and the relationship between learning styles and these sensations. Using a randomized placebo-controlled trial with 88 participants, the study found significant differences in biofield sensations between experimental and sham groups, with specific average times recorded for experiencing various sensations. The findings underscore the effectiveness of Master Choa Kok Sui's hand sensitization technique in eliciting biofield sensations. The study was a randomized controlled trial involving 84 healthy pre-service teachers aged 18-24, who were randomly assigned to either an experimental group practicing Master Choa Kok Sui's hand sensitization or a sham group performing similar but altered activities. The intervention included abdominal breathing, connecting the tongue to the palate, pressing the palms, and positioning palms facing each other while moving them slightly. Outcomes were measured using self-administered questionnaires, including the Learning Styles Questionnaire, Six Letter Cancellation Test, Ruler Drop Test, and Sensation of Hands Timing Questionnaire, assessing learning preferences, attention, reaction time, and experiences of sensations. The total duration of the practice was approximately 6 minutes, with three sessions of 120 seconds each. The primary outcome revealed that 81.81% of the experimental group reported magnetic sensations compared to 15.91% in the sham group (χ² = 38.247, p ≤ .001). Secondary outcomes indicated that 47.72% of the experimental group experienced physical sensations of energy versus 13.6% in the sham group (χ² = 12.02, p ≤ .001), while 93.18% of the sham group reported pain sensations compared to 9.09% in the experimental group (χ² = 62.259, p ≤ .001). Non-significant findings included no differences in BMI (p = .232), learning styles (all p > .5), and performance tests (SLCT p = .070, RT p = .917). Qualitative feedback highlighted feelings of calmness, improved respiration, and reduced stress, with no adverse events reported. The study indicates that hand sensitization can enhance the perception of biofield sensations, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits for physical and psychological well-being. Practitioners may consider incorporating biofield sensitization techniques into therapeutic practices to improve patient well-being. However, key limitations include the unstandardized questionnaire and the narrow age range of participants, which may affect the generalizability of the findings. Future research should explore the duration of biofield sensations and investigate the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying these experiences.