Can a spicy chest wrap warm you from the inside out?
NCT ID NCT02285452
First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing whether chest wraps made with ginger or mustard flour change body warmth, breathing, and mood more than wraps made with plain warm water. The study includes 19 healthy adults who receive each type of wrap in turn. The team measures skin temperature with an infrared camera, tracks breathing gases, and asks participants to rate their mood and warmth at several points.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- chest wraps made with ginger or mustard flour
- What this could lead to
- If the wraps change body warmth, breathing, or mood more than plain warm water, this could support their use as a simple comfort treatment for cold or tension.
- What could go wrong
- The study is very small, with only 19 healthy volunteers, and measures short-term body signals rather than lasting health benefits. Wraps can irritate skin, and people with mustard or ginger allergies should avoid them.
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
-
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
-
19 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
-
Nov 2014
- Finished
-
Apr 2015
- 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
-
18 to 40 years
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
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: * Signed informed consent. Exclusion Criteria: Inflectional disease with body temperature \> 38 °C. Skin damage on the thorax area Known intolerance or hypersensitivity to mustard or ginger products. Heart failure. Asthma bronchiale. Taking medication with influence on heart rate variability ( mainly tricyclic antidepressants and beta blocker). Consumption of coffee or nicotine less than three hours before the intervention. Pregnancy. Deficient knowledge of the German language.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Filderklinik
Filderstadt, Baden-Wurttemberg, 70794, Germany
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