This study is only available for people able to travel to our office in Duncraig, WA 6023

Echinacea is a herb that is traditionally used to improve immunity; however, some studies show it may also have mood-enhancing effects. In this study, we are interested in examining the impact of echinacea tablets on anxiety and sleep in adults experiencing symptoms of stress and anxiety.

There is no cost for participating in this study. To compensate you for your time, all participants will receive either a $30 or $40 Coles/Myer Group gift voucher and a free 2-week supply of echinacea tablets.

If you are aged between 18 and 80 years and experience stress/ anxiety, we invite you to participate in this randomised, controlled study.

Eligible participants will be RANDOMLY allocated into ONE of TWO treatment conditions:

1. Daily intake of tablets containing Echinacea, or
2. Daily intake of placebo (fake) tablets
   

To be INCLUDED in the study, the following inclusion criteria must be met:

1. Generally, healthy adults (male and female) aged 18 to 80 years
2. Currently experiencing high stress and/or anxiety
3. Scoring within a specified range on a mood-related questionnaire at both screening and the in-person visit
4. Non-smoker
5. BMI between 18 and 30 kg/m2
6. No plan to commence new treatments over the study period
7. Understand, willing and able to comply with all study procedures
8. Willing to provide a personally signed and dated informed consent form detailing all pertinent aspects of the trial.

If any of the exclusion criteria below are met, you will not be suitable for participation in this study:

1. You suffer from a recently diagnosed or unmanaged medical condition including but not limited to: diabetes, hyper/hypotension, cardiovascular disease, a gastrointestinal disease requiring regular use of medications, gallbladder disease, autoimmune disease, endocrine disease, acute or chronic pain condition, or cancer/malignancy
2. You have been diagnosed with a psychiatric or neurological condition including but not limited to: any psychiatric disorder, neurological disease (Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s disease, intracranial haemorrhage, head or brain injury)
3. You regularly take medications including but not limited to anticholinergics, anti-epileptics, antihistamines, benzodiazepines, opioids, or corticosteroids.
4. You have changed your medication (dose or type) in the last 3 months, or you expect to change it during the study
5. You currently take supplements containing Echinacea
6. In the last 6 months, you have commenced or changed your dose of nutritional and/or herbal supplements that may impact on treatment outcome
7. You currently (or in the last 12 months) have a problem with the use of illicit drugs
8. You drink more than 14 standard servings of alcohol per week
9. You are pregnant, breastfeeding, or intend to fall pregnant in the next 3 months
10. You have had a significant surgery in the last 12 months
11. You are an overnight shift worker
12. You have participated in another clinical trial in the past 3 months
13. You plan on making major lifestyle change in the next 2 months
14. You have a known allergy to Echinacea, chamomile, or sunflower oil

Echinacea is a commonly used natural ingredient that is well-tolerated by most users. Although reported side effects are infrequent, they cannot be totally ruled out. Potential side effects may include mild nausea, an unusual or unpleasant taste in the mouth, or a numb or tingling feeling in your tongue.

Even though it is not typically reported in trials on Echinacea, other mild adverse effects that can arise from taking herbal ingredients include:

• diarrhoea
• sore throat
• muscle or joint pain
• dry mouth
• \headache or dizziness

This study has been approved by the National Institute of Integrative Medicine (NIIM) Ethics Committee (Reference number: 0129E_2023)

If you are interested in participating in this study, click the button below to complete the initial screening questionnaire. This questionnaire will take 10 minutes to complete and will help us assess your eligibility to participate in this study.

Please Note: All answers are confidential and will only be seen by study investigators. If you are not eligible to participate in this study, your records will be deleted immediately