Abstract
BACKGROUND: Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) reduces the health-related quality of life in the working-age population; however, studies have rarely investigated this group. A mixture of Cervus elaphus Linnaeus, Angelica gigas Nakai, and Astragalus membranaceus Bunge (CAA) may be an effective anti-fatigue supplement. However, few clinical trials have explored the anti-fatigue effects of herbal medicines in human participants. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of the CAA herbal complex on muscle fatigue and endurance capacity in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial. METHODS: In an 8-week trial, 80 patients with chronic fatigue symptoms were randomly assigned to the CAA (43.5 ± 1.2 years) or placebo group (41.8 ± 1.3 years). Fatigue and cardiorespiratory endurance were measured at baseline, interim, and post-intervention. Fatigue-related blood biomarkers were assessed before and at the end of the intervention. RESULTS: A significant improvement in overall fatigue scores was observed on the fatigue severity scale (p = 0.038), multidimensional fatigue inventory (p = 0.037), and 24-hour visual analog scale (p = 0.002) in the CAA group compared to those in the placebo group. Fatigue improvement was observed in the CAA group, as well as physiological variables, such as increased maximal exercise time to exhaustion (p = 0.003), distance until exhaustion (p = 0.003), and maximum oxygen consumption (p = 0.039). CONCLUSION: CAA positively and significantly affected fatigue and cardiorespiratory endurance in patients with chronic fatigue, suggesting the potential use of herbal supplements for treating chronic fatigue. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinical Research Information Service (CRIS, https://cris.nih.go.kr/): KCT0005613.