Acute Effects of a Botanical Extract and Its Main Volatile Compound on Stress Response in Healthy Adults

The prevalence of stress in daily human life increase in the investigator\'s modern life style. Short stress, could be benefit for memory, but prolonged stress may conduct to disturbance in cardiovascular, neuroendocrine and central nervous systems. Moreover, it is well established that stress is the most common risk factor for the development of mood and anxiety disorders, such as major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder. In response to stress, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis is one of activated pathway, which induce the cortisol release. Certain natural products could increase resilience to stress. Indeed, several preclinical studies have already showed that botanical extracts inhibited the typical plasmatic corticosterone elevation induced by an acute stress challenge. Therefore, the aim of this clinical trial is to investigate the acute effects of a botanical extract and one of his major compound, both delivered as sublingual single dose, on cortisol level, cardiac parameters, and psychometric response, in healthy adults exposed to an acute psychological stress.