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Kava Kava for the Treatment of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

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What is being tested

Venlafaxine ER

+ Sugar pill
+ Kava
Drug
Who is being recruted

Anxiety Disorders

See all eligibility criteria

How is the trial designed

Treatment Study

Placebo-Controlled
Phase 2
Interventional
Study Start: June 2002

See protocol details

Summary

Principal SponsorNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Last updated: October 19, 2012
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner
Study start date: June 1, 2002Actual date on which the first participant was enrolled.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the herbal medicine kava kava for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). Kava kava (KAV) is a plant-derived treatment widely used in Europe to treat anxiety disorders. Several studies suggest that KAV may be effective in reducing anxiety symptoms; however, trial data are limited. This study will compare KAV, the drug venlafaxine-XR (VEN), and placebo for the treatment of GAD. This study will last 10 weeks. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive KAV, VEN, or placebo for 8 weeks. Participants will then undergo a 1-week tapering of their medication followed by an additional week of observation. Self-report scales and questionnaires will be used to assess the anxiety, depression, and functional impairment of participants. Side effects, vital signs, and laboratory measures will be monitored throughout the study.

Official TitleKAVA KAVA in Generalized Anxiety: A Double-Blind Trial 
Principal SponsorNational Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
Last updated: October 19, 2012
Sourced from a government-validated database.Claim as a partner

Protocol

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.
Design Details
16 patients to be enrolledTotal number of participants that the clinical trial aims to recruit.
Treatment Study
These studies test new ways to treat a disease, condition, or health issue. The goal is to see if a new drug, therapy, or approach works better or has fewer side effects than existing options.

How participants are assigned to different groups/arms
In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.

Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.

How treatments are given to participants
Participants are divided into different groups, each receiving a specific treatment at the same time. This helps researchers compare how well different treatments work against each other.

Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.

How the effectiveness of the treatment is controlled
In a placebo-controlled study, some participants receive the experimental treatment, while others receive an inert substance (placebo) to compare outcomes. This method helps to isolate the effect of the treatment from the psychological effects of receiving any treatment at all.

Other Options
Non-placebo-controlled: No placebo is used. All participants receive the actual treatment or alternative interventions (often the Standard of Care), and comparisons are made between these treatments.

How the interventions assigned to participants is kept confidential
Participants, researchers, outcome assessors, and care providers do not know which treatment is being given. This is the most complete way to prevent bias and keep the study as neutral as possible.

Other Ways to Mask Information
Open-label: Everyone knows which treatment is being given.
Single-blind: Participants do not know which treatment they are receiving, but researchers do.
Double-blind: Neither participants nor researchers know which treatment is given.
Triple-blind: Participants, researchers, and outcome assessors do not know which treatment is given.

Eligibility

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.
Conditions
Criteria
Any sexBiological sex of participants that are eligible to enroll.
Healthy volunteers not allowedIf individuals who are healthy and do not have the condition being studied can participate.
Conditions
Pathology
Anxiety Disorders
Criteria

Inclusion Criteria: * Diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

Study Plan

Find out more about all the medication administered in this study, their detailed description and what they involve.
Treatment Groups
Study Objectives
3 intervention groups 

are designated in this study

33.333% chance 

of being blinded to the placebo group

Treatment Groups
Group I
Active Comparator
Venlafaxine ER
Group II
Placebo
Inert placebo pills as duble dummy - up to 4 per day for kava and 3 per day for venlafaxine
Group III
Experimental
Kava
Study Objectives
Primary Objectives

Study Centers

These are the hospitals, clinics, or research facilities where the trial is being conducted. You can find the location closest to you and its status.
This study has no location dataSave this study to your profile to know when the location data is available. 
SuspendedNo study centers