Mint Tea for the Treatment of Nasal Polyps

NCT ID: NCT00465543

Last Updated: 2011-12-09

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

Get a concise snapshot of the trial, including recruitment status, study phase, enrollment targets, and key timeline milestones.

Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

PHASE2

Total Enrollment

22 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2007-05-31

Study Completion Date

2008-06-30

Brief Summary

Review the sponsor-provided synopsis that highlights what the study is about and why it is being conducted.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a new treatment for nasal polyps as compared to placebo (an inactive substance). The treatment involved is mint tea high in rosmarinic acid. Rosmarinic acid is a polyphenol, or a chemical substance found in certain plants such as oregano, rosemary, and the mints. It is the active ingredient in spearmint. The placebo used in this study will be mint tea low in rosmarininc acid. In this trial the amount of rosmarinic acid in the high rosmarinic acid tea, or study tea, will be 150mg. The placebo, or low rosmarinic acid tea, will contain 10mg of rosmarinic acid.

Detailed Description

Dive into the extended narrative that explains the scientific background, objectives, and procedures in greater depth.

Nasal polyps are clear, glistening, grape-like structures that occur in two percent of adults and contain a large number of activated eosinophils - about 20% of the constituents of nasal polyp tissue.

The standard treatment for nasal polyp patients is intranasal steroids which, in troublesome cases, may follow a short course of oral steroids. Surgery is reserved for extremely large polyps and those who fail medical treatment. However, many patients tire of using nasal sprays or are troubled by side effects such as nasal irritation or bleeding. So, while all treatments offer some benefit, there is no gold standard.

Rosmarinic acid is categorized as a polyphenolia phytochemical, or a 'plant phenol' and is found in a variety of plants including the herbs oregano and rosemary, as well as the mints. Peppermint is one of the most widely used single ingredient in herbal teas. It has been found in vitro to have significant antimicrobial and antiviral properties, strong antioxidant and antitumor actions, and some antiallergenic ability. Human based research is limited.

A mint tea high in rosmarinic acid has recently been produced. Anecdotal evidence suggests that it may be beneficial for allergic rhinitis if taken prior to allergen exposure (personal communication). Other anecdotal evidence found a blunting of the sputum eosinophils following allergen challenge in allergic asthmatics (personal communication). This trial aims to study the effects of this mint tea high in rosmarinic acid in adults with bilateral nasal polyps, a condition characterized by chronic eosinophilic inflammation. The control treatment will be a mint tea low in rosmarinic acid.

Conditions

See the medical conditions and disease areas that this research is targeting or investigating.

Nasal Polyps

Keywords

Explore important study keywords that can help with search, categorization, and topic discovery.

Nasal polyposis Mint tea Double-blind Placebo-controlled Crossover

Study Design

Understand how the trial is structured, including allocation methods, masking strategies, primary purpose, and other design elements.

Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

CROSSOVER

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Investigators

Study Groups

Review each arm or cohort in the study, along with the interventions and objectives associated with them.

II

Arm 2 receives 4 weeks of placebo mint tea (consumed twice a day) followed by 4 weeks of washout and then a further 4 weeks of treatment with study mint tea (consumed twice a day).

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Mint tea low in rosmarinic acid

Intervention Type OTHER

Mint tea low in rosmarininc acid contains 10mg of rosmarinic acid. To be consumed twice a day for 4 weeks. Brewed in 150ml of boiling water and allowed to steep for 10 minutes.

I

Arm 1 receives 4 weeks of treatment with mint tea high in rosmarinic acid, consumed twice a day. Treatment is followed by a 4 week wash-out phase. Subjects then enter a 4 week phase of placebo mint tea (low in rosmarinic acid), to be consumed twice a day.

Group Type PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Mint tea high in rosmarinic acid

Intervention Type OTHER

Mint tea high in rosmarininc acid contains 150mg of rosmarinic acid. To be consumed twice a day for 4 weeks. Brewed in 150ml of boiling water and allowed to steep for 10 minutes.

Interventions

Learn about the drugs, procedures, or behavioral strategies being tested and how they are applied within this trial.

Mint tea high in rosmarinic acid

Mint tea high in rosmarininc acid contains 150mg of rosmarinic acid. To be consumed twice a day for 4 weeks. Brewed in 150ml of boiling water and allowed to steep for 10 minutes.

Intervention Type OTHER

Mint tea low in rosmarinic acid

Mint tea low in rosmarininc acid contains 10mg of rosmarinic acid. To be consumed twice a day for 4 weeks. Brewed in 150ml of boiling water and allowed to steep for 10 minutes.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

Check the participation requirements, including inclusion and exclusion rules, age limits, and whether healthy volunteers are accepted.

Inclusion Criteria

1. Subjects who are male or female aged 18 years or older.
2. Subjects who have signed an informed consent agreement.
3. Subjects with a history of nasal polyp symptoms during the previous 12 months.

Exclusion Criteria

1. Subjects with severe nasal polyps requiring immediate surgery.
2. Subjects presenting with unilateral polyps.
3. Subjects who have undergone surgery to treat their nasal polyps (nasal polypectomy) within one year prior to visit one.
4. Subjects who have a known fungal infection of the nose and/or paranasal sinuses, nasal candidiasis, acute or chronic infectious sinusitis of viral or bacterial nature.
5. Subjects who have had an upper respiratory tract infection within two weeks prior to Visit one or any time between Visit 1 and Visit 2.
6. Subjects having cystic fibrosis, Young's syndrome, primary ciliary dyskinesia, known HIV infection or alcohol abuse.
7. Subjects with clinically significant, uncontrolled evidence of cardiovascular, neurological, hepatic, renal, respiratory, or any other medical condition that may interfere with the study.
8. Subjects with a recent history (within six months) of a clinically significant psychiatric disorder other than mild depression.
9. Subjects who have any clinically relevant deviation from normal in the general physical examination.
10. Subjects who have received any depot, systemic or oral corticosteroid in the previous three months prior to the start of the study.
11. Subjects who are unable to cease treatment with intranasal steroids four weeks prior to Visit one.
12. Subjects with a known hypersensitivity to mint.
13. Females who are pregnant or lactating or are likely to become pregnant during the study or are less than 8 weeks postpartum. Women of childbearing age may be included if in the opinion of the investigator, they are taking adequate contraceptive measures.
14. Subjects who are unable to follow the instructions within this protocol or known inability to attend all clinic visits within the intervals stated.
15. Subjects who have participated in a clinical trial involving an investigational or marketed drug within four weeks of visit one.
16. Subjects who are allergy skin test positive to a seasonal allergen which will be present when performing the trial, that has caused, within the past 2 years, a clinically significant deterioration in nasal symptoms.
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

Meet the organizations funding or collaborating on the study and learn about their roles.

Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

Identify the individual or organization who holds primary responsibility for the study information submitted to regulators.

Paul Keith

Associate Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Learn about the lead researchers overseeing the trial and their institutional affiliations.

Paul K. Keith

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation, McMaster Site

Countries

Review the countries where the study has at least one active or historical site.

Canada

References

Explore related publications, articles, or registry entries linked to this study.

Finotto S, Dolovich J, Denburg JA, Jordana M, Marshall JS. Functional heterogeneity of mast cells isolated from different microenvironments within nasal polyp tissue. Clin Exp Immunol. 1994 Feb;95(2):343-50. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.1994.tb06535.x.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 7508349 (View on PubMed)

McKay DL, Blumberg JB. A review of the bioactivity and potential health benefits of peppermint tea (Mentha piperita L.). Phytother Res. 2006 Aug;20(8):619-33. doi: 10.1002/ptr.1936.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16767798 (View on PubMed)

Takano H, Osakabe N, Sanbongi C, Yanagisawa R, Inoue K, Yasuda A, Natsume M, Baba S, Ichiishi E, Yoshikawa T. Extract of Perilla frutescens enriched for rosmarinic acid, a polyphenolic phytochemical, inhibits seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis in humans. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2004 Mar;229(3):247-54. doi: 10.1177/153537020422900305.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 14988517 (View on PubMed)

Ruhno J, Andersson B, Denburg J, Anderson M, Hitch D, Lapp P, Vanzieleghem M, Dolovich J. A double-blind comparison of intranasal budesonide with placebo for nasal polyposis. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1990 Dec;86(6 Pt 1):946-53. doi: 10.1016/s0091-6749(05)80158-7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 2262649 (View on PubMed)

Keith PK, Conway M, Dolovich J. Development and validation of a nasal polyposis quality of life questionnaire. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1996;97:192(Abstract)

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Keith PK, Ferrie P, Conway M, Waserman S, Schmuck ML, Denburg JA. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, crossover trial of montelukast in adults with nasal polyposis. Allergy Clin Immunol Int: J World Allergy Org, 2003; Supp 1:185.(Abstract)

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Powell KR, Shorr R, Cherry JD, Hendley JO. Improved method for collection of nasal mucus. J Infect Dis. 1977 Jul;136(1):109-11. doi: 10.1093/infdis/136.1.109.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 886201 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

Review additional registry numbers or institutional identifiers associated with this trial.

07-010

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id