Phytotherapy research : PTR
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effect of pine bark extract (Pycnogenol) on symptoms of knee osteoarthritis.
The safe and efficacious use of Pycnogenol (French maritime pine bark extract) in other inflammatory diseases prompted this study of its antiinflammatory effects in patients with osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of the study was to evaluate whether Pycnogenol reduces the symptoms of OA in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomly allocated trial with patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis stages I and II. ⋯ Results show that Pycnogenol in patients with mild to moderate OA improves symptoms and is able to spare NSAIDs.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Effect of valepotriates (valerian extract) in generalized anxiety disorder: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study.
The aim of the present study was to carry out a controlled pilot study on the putative anxiolytic effect of valepotriates. Thirty-six outpatients with generalized anxiety disorder (DSM III-R), after a 2-week wash-out, were randomized to one of the following three treatments for 4 weeks (n = 12 per group): valepotriates (mean daily dose: 81.3 mg), diazepam (mean daily dose: 6.5 mg), or placebo. A parallel, double-blind, flexible-dose, placebo-controlled design was employed. ⋯ Although the principal analysis (HAM-A between group comparison) found negative results (probably due to the small sample size in each group), the preliminary data obtained in the present study suggest that the valepotriates may have a potential anxiolytic effect on the psychic symptoms of anxiety. However, since the number of subjects per group was very small, the present results must be viewed as preliminary. Thus, further studies addressing this issue are warranted.