Abstract

Crocetin is a pharmacologically active carotenoid compound of Gardenia jasminoides Ellis used as a traditional herbal medicine and natural colorant. The present pilot study investigated the effect of crocetin on sleep. The clinical trial comprised a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial of 21 healthy adult men with a mild sleep complaint. It included two intervention periods of 2 weeks each, separated by a 2-week washout period. We measured objective sleep quality using an actigraph, and assessed the subjective symptoms using St Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire. Actigraph data showed that after administration of crocetin, the number of wakening episodes was reduced compared to that of the placebo (p=0.025). Subjective data from St Mary's Hospital Sleep Questionnaire showed that crocetin tended to improve the quality of sleep compared to sleep before its intake. Additionally, no side effects from crocetin intake were observed. The results suggest that crocetin may contribute to improving the quality of sleep.

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Publisher Full Text

Authors

Kuratsune H, Umigai N, Takeno R, Kajimoto Y, Nakano T

Institution

Department of Health Science, Faculty of Health Science for Welfare, Kansai University of Welfare Sciences, Kashiwara, Osaka, Japan.

Source

Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology 17:11 2010 Sep pg 840-3

MeSH

Adult
Carotenoids
Cross-Over Studies
Double-Blind Method
Fruit
Gardenia
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Phytotherapy
Pilot Projects
Plant Extracts
Sleep
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

Pub Type(s)

Comparative Study
Journal Article
Randomized Controlled Trial

Language

eng

PubMed ID

20537515