Increasing Warmth in Oncological Patients: A Randomized Controlled Cross-Over Pilot Trial Examining the Efficacy of Mustard and Ginger Footbaths

Kuderer

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

et al. 2022

Background. Chest compresses with mustard (MU) or ginger (GI) are a complementary treatment option for respiratory tract infections. However, little is known about their specific thermogenic qualities. This study examines the short-term effects of MU, GI, and chest compresses with warm water only (WA) on measurable and self-perceived body warmth in healthy adults. Methods. This was a single-center, randomized controlled trial with cross-over design (WA versus MU versus GI). 18 participants (23.7 ± 3.4 years; 66.7% female) received MU, GI, and WA in a random order on three different days with a mean washout period of 13.9 days. Chest compresses were applied to the thoracic back for a maximum of 20 minutes. The primary outcome measure was skin temperature of the posterior trunk (measured by infrared thermography) immediately following removal of the compresses (t1). Secondary outcome measures included skin temperature of the posterior trunk 10 minutes later (t2) and several parameters of self-perceived warmth at t1 and t2 (assessed with the Herdecke Warmth Perception Questionnaire). Results. Skin temperature of the posterior trunk was significantly higher with MU compared to WA and GI at t1 ( p < 0.001 for both, primary outcome measure) and t2 (WA versus MU: p = 0.04 , MU versus GI: p < 0.01 ). Self-perceived warmth of the posterior trunk was higher with MU and GI compared to WA at t1 (1.40 ≥ d ≥ 1.79) and remained higher with GI at t2 (WA versus GI: d = 0.74). The overall warmth perception increased significantly with GI (d = 0.69), tended to increase with MU (d = 0.54), and did not change with WA (d = 0.36) between t0 and t1. Conclusions. Different effects on warmth regulation were observed when ginger and mustard were applied as chest compresses. Both substances induced self-perceived warming of the posterior trunk, but measurable skin temperature increased only with MU. Further research is needed to examine the duration of these thermogenic effects and how chest compresses with ginger or mustard might be incorporated into practice to influence clinical outcomes in respiratory tract infections.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Chest Compresses with Mustard or Ginger Affect Warmth Regulation in Healthy Adults? A Randomized Controlled Trial

Kuderer

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

et al. 2022

“…However, since black pepper has elucidated positive e cacies, as described in clinical studies, it would be worth to evaluate the physiological effects of black pepper essential oil in aromatherapy. These positive effects include pain relief and its potent warming effect 30 , similar to other stimulative spices such as mustard and ginger 31,32 , which are thought to increase blood ow, thereby attributing to an attenuation of peripheral sympathetic nervous system activity.…”

Section: Despite the Utilisation Of Black Pepper In Various Contexts ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Alleviation of acute stress response by black pepper (Piper nigrum) aroma administration

Dilrukshi

Nishiyama

Ito

et al. 2023

Preprint

Black pepper is a popular spice globally. Black pepper essential oil could be beneficial in aromatherapy under stressful conditions. This study examined the effect of black pepper aroma on cardiac and peripheral autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity under stressful conditions using an olfactometer to administer aroma in a precise and controlled manner to ensure reproducibility. A within-participant design experiment was conducted with 20 male students who performed a 30 min calculation task as a short-term stressor under three aroma conditions: black pepper, ginger, and dipropylene glycol (DPG). Electrocardiograms and skin conductance level (SCL) were measured for evaluating the physiological acute stress response on ANS. Subjective evaluations and impressions on the types of aroma were assessed. The physiological acute stress response induced by the short-term stressor, which is characterized by the enhancement of the heart rate (HR) and SCL and decreases in the heart rate variability (HRV), was significantly suppressed with black pepper than with DPG(p =0.048, HR and p = 0.002, HRV) and ginger (p = 0.005, SCL); however, there was no significant difference in subjective scores among the conditions. Although black pepper is a stimulative agent, the findings showed that it alleviated the physiological acute stress response.

“…Notably, this study extends beyond assessing arousal efficiency to comprehensively explore therapeutic benefits, considering the stimulative sensation of black pepper as a food ingredient and its positive efficacies. These positive effects include pain relief and its potent warming effect [ 36 ], similar to other stimulative spices such as mustard and ginger, which are thought to increase blood flow, attributing to attenuation of peripheral SNS activity [ 37 , 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Alleviation of acute stress response by black pepper aroma administration

Dilrukshi,

Nishiyama,

Ito

et al. 2024

J Physiol Anthropol

Background Black pepper is one of the most popular spices globally. As black pepper essential oil has not yet been used in the context of aromatherapy, this study examined the effect of black pepper aroma on cardiac and peripheral autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity under stressful conditions using an olfactometer to administer aroma in a precise and controlled manner to ensure reproducibility. Methods A within-participant design experiment was conducted with 20 male university students who performed a 30-min calculation task as a short-term stressor under three aroma conditions: black pepper, ginger, and dipropylene glycol (DPG) (scentless air as a control). Each aroma was sporadically delivered (first 20 s of each 1-min interval) with the olfactometer during the task. Electrocardiograms and skin conductance level (SCL) were measured to evaluate ANS's physiological acute stress response. Subjective evaluations for the given stressful task and impressions on the types of aromas were assessed. Results The physiological acute stress response induced by the short-term stressor, which is characterized by the enhancement of the heart rate (HR) and SCL and decreases in the heart rate variability (HRV), was suppressed with black pepper: the increase in HR and reduction in HRV from the baseline were 38.9% (p = 0.048 when compared with DPG) and 32.9% smaller (p = 0.002 for multiple comparisons) than those in DPG, respectively, and the increase of SCL was 15.5% smaller (p = 0.005 for multiple comparisons) than that in ginger. However, there was no significant difference in subjective scores among the conditions. Conclusion Although black pepper is a stimulative agent, the study findings showed that black pepper aroma alleviated the physiological acute stress response, which can be beneficial in aromatherapy under stressful conditions.