Written by Jessica Patella, ND. This study suggests that supplementation with an extract of Gynostemma pentaphyllum (EGP) can reduce stress and anxiety in subjects under chronic psychological stress.
Research has shown stress predisposes people to a wide range of diseases including, anxiety and depression 1, cardiovascular disease 2, cancer 3, and decreased immune system functioning 4. During a period of time when people are feeling stressed, the question becomes is there anything we can do about it? Research has discovered Gynostemma pentaphyllum (Makino leaves) can help chronic stress in animal models 5. Therefore, researchers wanted to find out if Gynostemma pentaphyllum could also help chronic stress in people.
Gynostemma pentaphyllum is a climbing vine that is found in South Korea, Japan and regions of southern China. It has been used in these regions in herbal tea or in traditional medicine for cardiovascular health, immune support and for regulating stress and increasing vitality 6. That being said, very little clinical research has been conducted on the plant, but since it had been shown to be helpful for chronic stress in the animal model 5, researchers wanted to determine if it could prove helpful in healthy subjects under chronic stress conditions 6.
The research included 72 participants (20-64 years of age) who were physically and mentally healthy, but who had perceived chronic stress and anxiety. Participants with a State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) score from 40-60, indicating high anxiety, were included in the study. The participants were then randomly divided into a placebo group (n=36) or the Gynostemma pentaphyllum group (200 mg, twice a day; n=36) for a total of 8-weeks. Participants visited the study center 4 times during the 8-week intervention. To give repetitive loads of stress during the 8-week intervention, participants were called by the research investigators every other day and were asked to perform math tasks for 5 minutes. The tasks were different each time, for example, subtract 7 from 1000 consecutively or subtract 9 from 1000 consecutively 6.
After 8-weeks of supplementation the average decrease in the total State-Trait Anxiety Inventory was almost twice as much in the Gynostemma pentaphyllum group compared to the placebo group (-18.55 and -10.63, respectively; p=0.041). There were no other statistically significant difference found between the groups. Based on the sections of improvement on the anxiety scale, Gynostemma pentaphyllum reduced the generalized propensity to be anxious. This suggests a positive effect on reducing the person’s individual anxiety level 6, versus helping during a specific stressful event.
In conclusion, Gynostemma pentaphyllum supplementation at 400 mg/day was shown to lower anxiety compared to the placebo group 6. In the future researchers might consider also including objective stress level scales to help determine the amount of stress each participant is exposed to daily, since it can vary greatly per person and per day 6.
Source: Choi, Eun-Kyung, Yu Hui Won, Soon-Young Kim, Soon-Ok Noh, Soo-Hyun Park, Su-Jin Jung, Chong Kil Lee et al. “Supplementation with extract of Gynostemma pentaphyllum leaves reduces anxiety in healthy subjects with chronic psychological stress: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.” Phytomedicine 52 (2019): 198-205.
© 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier GmbH. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/BY-NC-ND/4.0/).
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Posted March 16, 2021.
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- Segerstrom SC, Miller GE. Psychological stress and the human immune system: a meta-analytic study of 30 years of inquiry. Psychological bulletin. 2004;130(4):601.
- Zhao TT, Shin KS, Choi HS, Lee MK. Ameliorating effects of gypenosides on chronic stress-induced anxiety disorders in mice. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2015;15:323.
- Choi EK, Won YH, Kim SY, et al. Supplementation with extract of Gynostemma pentaphyllum leaves reduces anxiety in healthy subjects with chronic psychological stress: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Phytomedicine. 2019;52:198-205.
