Nature's medicine: can forest bathing, herbs, and leeches boost health in those with disabilities?
NCT ID NCT07709221
First seen Jul 16, 2026 · Last updated Jul 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study explores whether complementary therapies like forest therapy (guided time in nature), phytotherapy (herbal treatments), and hirudotherapy (medicinal leeches) can improve physical and mental health in people with reduced work capacity or special needs. Participants are assigned to one of three therapy groups or a control group. Researchers measure changes in blood pressure, body composition, strength, well-being, stress, and sleep quality. The goal is to develop safe, standardized recommendations for these services.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- complementary and alternative health care services including forest therapy, phytotherapy, and hirudotherapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this research could provide evidence-based recommendations for using these natural therapies to improve health and well-being in people with reduced work capacity or special needs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with no blinding or placebo control, so results may be influenced by participant expectations. The therapies are not standard medical treatments and their effects may vary widely.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 100 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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Children (under 18), adults (18 to 64) and older adults (65 and over)
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Individuals with a participation level below 55% and/or officially recognized special needs. Ability and willingness to participate in the study procedures and assigned intervention. Provision of written informed consent by the participant or, where applicable, by a legally authorized representative. Ability to complete the planned assessments independently or with reasonable assistance. Medical condition sufficiently stable to participate in the assigned complementary and alternative health care intervention. Willingness to attend baseline and post-intervention assessments and the scheduled intervention sessions. Exclusion Criteria: Acute illness, fever, active infection, or clinically unstable health condition at the time of enrollment. Any medical condition that, in the investigator's or intervention provider's judgment, would make participation unsafe. Known contraindication to the intervention to which the participant may be assigned. Current participation in another interventional study that could affect the study outcomes. Inability to provide informed consent and absence of a legally authorized representative. Inability to comply with the study procedures or intervention schedule despite reasonable accommodations. Planned major medical procedure or substantial change in treatment during the study period that could influence the study outcomes. Additional intervention-specific exclusion criteria: Phytotherapy: known allergy or hypersensitivity to the planned herbal products; clinically relevant interactions with current medications; pregnancy or breastfeeding, when relevant to the selected herbal product; severe hepatic or renal impairment where the planned preparation may be contraindicated. Hirudotherapy: bleeding disorders; clinically significant anemia; current anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy when considered unsafe by the treating clinician; immunodeficiency; active skin infection or lesion at the planned application site; known allergy to leech-related substances; other contraindications identified by the licensed hirudotherapy practitioner. Forest therapy: acute condition limiting safe participation outdoors; uncontrolled cardiovascular or respiratory symptoms; severe mobility, cognitive, behavioral, or sensory limitations that cannot be safely accommodated; severe allergy or environmental sensitivity relevant to the planned setting. \-
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Klaipeda University, Faculty of Health Sciences
Klaipėda, Klaipėda County, LT-92294, Lithuania