Can a herbal drink calm cancer Survivors' anxiety? early trial halted
NCT ID NCT06213298
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This pilot study tested whether kava, a herbal supplement, could safely reduce anxiety and stress in 43 cancer survivors who had completed treatment. Participants took either kava or a placebo for 14 days, then switched after a washout period. The trial is currently suspended, and results are not yet available.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- kava (kavalactones)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a natural option for easing anxiety in cancer survivors without standard medications.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very early, small pilot study that is currently suspended. Kava has known liver risks, and results may not be reliable or generalizable.
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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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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About 43 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Jun 2024
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2028
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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18 years and older
- 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: * Completed curative-intent treatment for breast, gynecologic, lung, or head/neck cancer within the last 24 months without clinical and/or radiographic evidence of recurrence at the time of the last follow up * Score of ≥ 5 on the GAD-7 questionnaire, considered to be mild anxiety * ECOG performance status 0-1 * Normal kidney and liver function within 28 days prior to the first dose of kava or placebo * Willing to abstain from benzodiazepine and alcohol use during the kava or placebo intervention and for at least 14 days after completion * Ability to provide written, informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Regular use of benzodiazepines, defined as ≥ 2 times weekly, within 14 days prior to study registration * Anti-cancer therapy within 28 days prior to registration, and/or during study participation, except for aromatase inhibitors * Known liver disease such as cirrhosis (any Child-Pugh class), active infectious hepatitis, immune-mediated hepatitis, hemochromatosis, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), or Wilson's disease * Use of acetaminophen at doses more than 2000 mg daily for more than three days per week within 7 days prior to the first dose of kava or placebo intervention * Chronic use of high-intensity statin therapy * Significant uncontrolled conditions or situations, which in the judgment of the enrolling investigator, could affect safety and/or ability to adhere to study requirements * Adjustments in anti-depressants and/or anxiolytic medications within 8 weeks prior to study registration * Known allergy to kava * Women who are pregnant, intend to become pregnant, or are nursing * Regular use of alcohol, defined as ≥ 3 times per week, regardless of amount, within 14 days prior to study registration * Parkinson's disease * History of or current substance use disorder by self-report
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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.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Masonic Cancer Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55455, United States
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