A Comparative Study on the Effectiveness of Pepper Leaves Tea and Chamomile Tea for Insomnia Disorder: A Single-Blind Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Traditional Thai herbal medicine has historically been used for the treatment of insomnia. Nevertheless, there was little guidance and limited use of pepper leaves tea (Piper nigrum L.) for the management of insomnia. The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of pepper leaf tea compared to chamomile tea in treating insomnia. A randomized single-blind pilot experiment including 30 patients aged 20 to 60 years with primary insomnia was conducted at the Traditional Thai Medicine Hospital, Prince of Songkla University, Thailand. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 2 g of pepper leaves or chamomile tea once day for a duration of 14 days. The main outcomes were the severity of insomnia and the quality of sleep. Secondary outcomes included stress levels, satisfaction, and safety assessment. All outcomes were assessed at baseline, after the 7 and 14-day treatments, and at the 21-day post-intervention follow-up. Administration of pepper leaves tea and chamomile tea significantly decreased insomnia severity (ISI), enhanced sleep quality (PSQI), and lowered stress levels (ST-5) with statistical significance (p<0.05). Both teas indicated comparable efficacy in alleviating insomnia when the two groups were compared. Negative symptoms were noted in one participant from the pepper leaves tea group. The results demonstrate that pepper leaves tea can alleviate sleeplessness and reduce stress. Nonetheless, enhancements in flavor and fragrance are necessary for the development of it into a health food complementary. Future study should focus on the active chemicals associated with sleep and stress.