<i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention Study

Adequate sleep is important for learning and memory in children and adolescents. Sleep disorder prevalence is high in adolescents, as well as stress, and both can affect their mental and physical health. To this end, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an herb extract, sp...

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Main Authors: Pau Navarro, Adrián García, Roberta Villa, Vincenzo Nobile, Ortensia Ilaria Parisi, Chiara Lirangi, Fabio Amone, Erminia D’Ambrosio, Nuria Caturla, Jonathan Jones
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/5856
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author Pau Navarro
Adrián García
Roberta Villa
Vincenzo Nobile
Ortensia Ilaria Parisi
Chiara Lirangi
Fabio Amone
Erminia D’Ambrosio
Nuria Caturla
Jonathan Jones
author_facet Pau Navarro
Adrián García
Roberta Villa
Vincenzo Nobile
Ortensia Ilaria Parisi
Chiara Lirangi
Fabio Amone
Erminia D’Ambrosio
Nuria Caturla
Jonathan Jones
author_sort Pau Navarro
collection DOAJ
description Adequate sleep is important for learning and memory in children and adolescents. Sleep disorder prevalence is high in adolescents, as well as stress, and both can affect their mental and physical health. To this end, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an herb extract, specifically lemon verbena (<i>Lippia citrodora</i>), in reducing stress and improving sleep quality in healthy adolescents. This study lasted 3 months, during which they filled out the Adolescent Sleep Wake Scale (ASWS) and Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C) questionnaires, and saliva samples were taken to analyze cortisol levels. Also, a psychologist evaluated the results of this study for each subject and concluded if they considered the treatment to be clinically relevant. As a result, significant improvements versus placebo were detected in the ASWS and PSS-C, starting in the first month of treatment, coinciding with a significant reduction in cortisol levels. The psychologist assessment agreed that the treatment was successful for 86% of the experimental group, compared to only 19% of the placebo group. In conclusion, the results of this study revealed that the product may help reduce stress and improve sleep quality in adolescents with sleep and stress issues.
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spelling doaj-art-9e0224acd0774d7d89ff07d1ea128ca02025-08-20T02:32:50ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172025-05-011511585610.3390/app15115856<i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention StudyPau Navarro0Adrián García1Roberta Villa2Vincenzo Nobile3Ortensia Ilaria Parisi4Chiara Lirangi5Fabio Amone6Erminia D’Ambrosio7Nuria Caturla8Jonathan Jones9Monteloeder SL, C/Miguel Servet 16, 03203 Elche, Alicante, SpainMonteloeder SL, C/Miguel Servet 16, 03203 Elche, Alicante, SpainR&D Department, Complife Italia S.r.l., 20024 Garbagnate Milanese, Milan, ItalyR&D Department, Complife Italia S.r.l., 20024 Garbagnate Milanese, Milan, ItalyDepartment of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, ItalyPrivate Clinical Practice, Via Fratelli Salerno, 87036 Rende, Cosenza, ItalyClinical Trial Department, Nutratech S.r.l., 87036 Rende, Cosenza, ItalyClinical Trial Department, Nutratech S.r.l., 87036 Rende, Cosenza, ItalyMonteloeder SL, C/Miguel Servet 16, 03203 Elche, Alicante, SpainMonteloeder SL, C/Miguel Servet 16, 03203 Elche, Alicante, SpainAdequate sleep is important for learning and memory in children and adolescents. Sleep disorder prevalence is high in adolescents, as well as stress, and both can affect their mental and physical health. To this end, the objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of an herb extract, specifically lemon verbena (<i>Lippia citrodora</i>), in reducing stress and improving sleep quality in healthy adolescents. This study lasted 3 months, during which they filled out the Adolescent Sleep Wake Scale (ASWS) and Perceived Stress Scale for Children (PSS-C) questionnaires, and saliva samples were taken to analyze cortisol levels. Also, a psychologist evaluated the results of this study for each subject and concluded if they considered the treatment to be clinically relevant. As a result, significant improvements versus placebo were detected in the ASWS and PSS-C, starting in the first month of treatment, coinciding with a significant reduction in cortisol levels. The psychologist assessment agreed that the treatment was successful for 86% of the experimental group, compared to only 19% of the placebo group. In conclusion, the results of this study revealed that the product may help reduce stress and improve sleep quality in adolescents with sleep and stress issues.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/5856<i>Lippia citrodora</i><i>Aloysia citriodora</i>sleepstressadolescents
spellingShingle Pau Navarro
Adrián García
Roberta Villa
Vincenzo Nobile
Ortensia Ilaria Parisi
Chiara Lirangi
Fabio Amone
Erminia D’Ambrosio
Nuria Caturla
Jonathan Jones
<i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention Study
Applied Sciences
<i>Lippia citrodora</i>
<i>Aloysia citriodora</i>
sleep
stress
adolescents
title <i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention Study
title_full <i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention Study
title_fullStr <i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention Study
title_full_unstemmed <i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention Study
title_short <i>Lippia citrodora</i> (Lemon Verbena) Extract Helps Reduce Stress and Improve Sleep Quality in Adolescents in a Double-Blind Randomized Intervention Study
title_sort i lippia citrodora i lemon verbena extract helps reduce stress and improve sleep quality in adolescents in a double blind randomized intervention study
topic <i>Lippia citrodora</i>
<i>Aloysia citriodora</i>
sleep
stress
adolescents
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/11/5856
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