Effect of Univestin (Scutellaria baicalensis root & Acacia catechu heartwood) on Post‐Exercise Muscle Soreness and Range of Motion in Healthy Adults

Introduction Intense exercise is known to increase post‐exercise pain and result in delayed‐onset muscle soreness (DOMS) lasting for several days. Muscle soreness and soft tissue pain is a frequent complaint among recreational exercisers and a significant obstacle to continued participation in regular physical activity. Objective Our study examined the effects of an herbal dietary supplement (Univestin; combination of Scutellaria baicalensis root & Acacia catechu heartwood) versus a look‐alike placebo on subjective pain and range of motion (ROM) following intense exercise. Subjects & Methods Twenty‐three (N=23) healthy men and women were recruited to participate in an intense 60‐minute “boot camp style” resistance training workout designed to induce DOMS across all major muscle groups (quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteals/hips, shoulders, biceps, triceps). Subjects were randomly divided in double‐blind fashion to receive either the supplement (Univestin) at 250 mg b.i.d. (N=12) or placebo (N=11) for 1‐week post‐exercise. We measured range of motion (ROM), joint pain (WOMAC; Western Ontario & McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index), and muscle pain/stiffness (VAS; visual analog score) daily during the 1‐week post‐exercise period. Results Subjective evaluation of pain/stiffness (VAS) was noticeably lower across several muscle groups (calves, gluteals/hips, biceps, triceps) at day‐1 and significantly lower (p<0.05) by the 2 nd day post‐exercise in the Univestin group compared to Placebo. ROM scores were significantly higher across both shoulder and hip movements (flexion/extension) at all time points from day‐1 to day‐6 post‐exercise in Univestin compared to Placebo (p<0.05). Measures of joint pain (WOMAC) were also lower in Univestin versus Placebo at some, but not all, timepoints. Conclusion Univestin has previously been reported to reduce the pain and stiffness associated with osteoarthritis (1–3). These clinical results further demonstrate Univestin's effectiveness to reduce post‐exercise muscle pain and improve range of motion in a population of healthy non‐arthritic adults. Therefore, Univestin may be viewed as an effective dietary supplement to facilitate healthy pain‐free participation in regular physical activity. Support or Funding Information Funding provided by Unigen This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .