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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2025 Aug;39(8):825-835.
doi: 10.1177/02698811251324574. Epub 2025 Apr 18.

Daily supplementation with lemon verbena extract decreases subjective energy and parental reports of hyperactivity in children displaying sub-clinical attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-type behaviours: A randomised controlled trial

Philippa A Jackson  1 , Ellen F Smith  1 , Joanne Forster  1 , Jessica Greener  1 , Anna Small  1 , David O Kennedy  1 , Cynthia G Suarez  2 , Andressa Blainski  2 , Ivo Pischel  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Daily supplementation with lemon verbena extract decreases subjective energy and parental reports of hyperactivity in children displaying sub-clinical attention deficit hyperactivity disorder-type behaviours: A randomised controlled trial

Philippa A Jackson et al. J Psychopharmacol. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Current treatment options for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are limited by factors such as adherence and cost, whilst no treatment options are available for sub-clinical or undiagnosed ADHD. Herbal preparations may therefore offer an alternative approach to the management of symptoms; Aloysia citriodora Paláu (lemon verbena) is a promising candidate.

Aim: To assess the behavioural, cognitive, psychological and physiological effects of 56 days of supplementation with lemon verbena extract (LVE) in children exhibiting symptoms of ADHD at the sub-clinical level.

Methods: This exploratory study followed a randomised, double-blind parallel groups design wherein 120 healthy participants aged 8-17 years received 15 mg/kg bw/d LVE or matched placebo for 56 days. Behavioural, cognitive, mood and physiological measures were collected in the lab at baseline and 28 and 56 days post-dose. Parents also evaluated the child's behaviour throughout the study.

Results: Participants who received LVE reported greater subjective fatigue, defined as reduced energy levels according to the Profile of Mood States subscale, without impairments in cognitive performance across the 56-day intervention and lower depression symptoms on day 56, compared to placebo. The effect of LVE on parent ratings of hyperactive/impulsive behaviour also approached significance with fewer concerns being reported following the active treatment. Exploratory analyses showed further benefits to cognition and mood.

Conclusions: This study revealed novel, beneficial effects of LVE supplementation in children exhibiting a high frequency of behaviours characteristic of ADHD. Overall, LVE was safe and well-tolerated by participants, with no unexpected safety events.

Keywords: ADHD; Aloysia citriodora; Lemon verbena; Lippia citriodora; cognition.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: CGS and AB are employed by Finzelberg GmbH & Co. KG, a company specialising in the production and distribution of botanical extracts. Their contribution to this publication pertains to specific aspects such as study design and proofreading of the manuscript but does not include data acquisition, processing or analysis. IP serves as a consultant to Finzelberg. The team focuses on research and development of new products.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Participant disposition flowchart.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Timeline of the study assessment schedule. Having successfully passed the online pre-screen Conners 3-P(S) questionnaire, participants attended their screening/training visit between 14 and 2 days before treatment commenced. They then attended their full testing visits (comprising laboratory assessments of self-reported mood/behaviour and cognitive function) the day before (Day 1), 28 days (Day 28) and 56 days (Day 56) after treatment commenced. A concomitant assessment of parents’ perceptions of their child’s behaviour took place prior to Days 1, 14, 28, 42 and 56. On Days 14 and 28, participants also completed the Conners 3-SR(S) and POMS at home. Conners 3-SR(S): conners 3-self report form (short); Conners 3-P(S); conners 3-parent form (short); POMS: profile of mood states; STAI: state-trait anxiety inventory; PSS: perceived stress scale; VAMS: visual analogue mood scales; BP: blood pressure; HRV: heart rate variability; COMPASS: cognitive testing platform.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
POMS subscales. Scores are separated by day and treatment. Day -1 data are raw means. Post-dose data are estimated marginal means derived from the linear mixed model that is adjusted for baseline score. (a) Fatigue-Inertia – A significant main effect of treatment was observed (F(1, 153.29) = 12.79, p < 0.001). (b) Depression-Dejection – pairwise comparisons following a significant treatment × day interaction revealed a trend for lower depression on Day 56.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Conners 3-P(S) hyperactivity/impulsivity scores separated by day and treatment. Day -1 data are raw means. Post-dose data are estimated marginal means derived from the linear mixed model that is adjusted for baseline score. A near-significant effect of treatment was observed (F(1, 125.67) = 3.84, p = 0.052).
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Exploratory analysis of Day 56 treatment effects. Day -1 data are raw means. Post-dose data are estimated marginal means derived from the linear mixed model that is adjusted for baseline score; significance is derived from pairwise comparisons on Day 56. (a) POMS Tension-Anxiety; (b) Conners 3-SR hyperactivity/impulsivity; (c) Stroop task congruent stimuli accuracy; (d) overall Stroop task accuracy; (e) arrow flankers task congruent stimuli reaction time; (f) arrow flankers task overall reaction time. *p < 0.05.
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