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

Cnidium monnieri and Cuscuta chinensis are plants used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat and prevent a range of health conditions. In particular, they have a history of use to support bone health. Even though there are animal studies demonstrating they may have positive effects on bone health, there have been no well-controlled, human clinical trials examining their bone-supporting benefits.

If you are between 50 and 80 years old and are post-menopausal, we invite you to participate in this randomised, controlled study.

PLEASE NOTE: Travel to our office located in Duncraig is required on 2 occasions over a 6 month period

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

1. Daily intake of capsules containing Cnidium monnieri and Cuscuta chinensis, or
2. Daily intake of placebo (fake) capsules 

This 6-month study consists of the following:

1. Participate in a 10-minute phone interview to discuss the study and assess your eligibility to participate. 

2. Attend a face-to-face assessment on 2 occasions (baseline and month 6) located in our offices in Duncraig. During your in-person visit (approx. 45 minutes), you will have a blood sample collected and will complete questionnaires about your general wellbeing

3. Take the capsules for 6 months weeks (1 capsule daily, containing either Cnidium monnieri and Cuscuta chinensis or a placebo). 

4. Complete online questionnaires every month. These questionnaires take approximately 10 minutes.

You can download the full STUDY INFORMATION SHEET by clicking the button on this webpage

To compensate you for your time and travel costs, we will provide you with the following:

1. $40 gift voucher at visit 1
2. $120 gift voucher at visit 2
3. People placed on the placebo will be given a free supply of Osteosine when the study is completed

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

1. You are a female aged between 50 and 80 years old.
2. You are postmenopausal (had no menses for at least 12 months)
3. You are a non-smoker
4. You have a body mass index (BMI) between 18 and 35 kg/m2
5. You have no plan to commence new treatments over the study period
6. You understand and are willing and able to comply with all study procedures
7. You are 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, the applicant will not be suitable for participation in this study:

1. You have been diagnosed with osteoporosis
2. You are diagnosed with a disease causing secondary osteoporosis within the last year, such as primary hyperparathyroidism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, or diabetes.
3. You use pharmaceutical medications including but not limited to corticosteroids, antiepileptic drugs and antiresorptive therapy, including systemic hormone replacement therapy, bisphosphonates, and strontium ranelate.
4. You have started, or changed your medication, herbal or vitamin supplements within 4 weeks before starting the study
5. You take supplements known to affect bone metabolism, including vitamin D and mineral supplements.
6. You have a recent history of fragility fractures, especially those requiring surgical intervention.
7. You plan to make major lifestyle change in the next 6 months.
8. You consume more than 14 alcohol standard drinks per week
9. You currently or in the last 12 months have regularly engaged in illicit drug use
10. You have had a significant surgery over the last year
11. You have participated in another clinical trial in the last month

This study has been approved by the National Institute of Integrative Medicine (NIIM) Ethics Committee (Reference number: 0148E_2024)

If you are interested in participating in this study, please click on the button "Complete the Study Application Form" located on this webpage. This questionnaire will take aproximately 5 to 10 minutes to complete and helps 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

If you would like to speak to a researcher to get more information about this study, you can call us on 08 9448 7376