Nipate, Sonali S, Tiwari, Anand H · Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine · 2020 · DOI
This study tested whether an extract from Spilanthes oleracea (a plant used in traditional medicine) could help relieve fatigue symptoms in mice subjected to chronic stress. The researchers found that the plant extract reduced markers of cellular damage and improved physical performance in stressed mice, suggesting it may work by reducing harmful molecules called oxidative stress in the body.
This research addresses the suspected role of oxidative stress in ME/CFS pathology and provides preliminary evidence that plant-based compounds with antioxidant properties may have therapeutic potential. For researchers, it offers a testable mechanistic framework; for patients, it contributes to the growing scientific rationale for investigating natural compounds as adjunctive treatments.
This study does not prove that Spilanthes oleracea works in humans with ME/CFS—it only demonstrates effects in stressed mice. The findings do not establish causation between oxidative stress and ME/CFS in patients, nor do they account for the complex, multifactorial etiology of the human disease. Results from animal models frequently do not translate to human efficacy or safety.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Nipate, Sonali S & Tiwari, Anand H (2020). Antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties of Spilanthes oleracea with potential effect in chronic fatigue syndrome infirmity.. Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaim.2017.08.008
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-nipate-2020-antioxidant-immunomodulatory,
author = {Nipate, Sonali S and Tiwari, Anand H},
title = {Antioxidant and immunomodulatory properties of Spilanthes oleracea with potential effect in chronic fatigue syndrome infirmity.},
journal = {Journal of Ayurveda and integrative medicine},
year = {2020},
doi = {10.1016/j.jaim.2017.08.008},
note = {PubMed: 30455072},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nipate-2020-antioxidant-immunomodulatory},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/nipate-2020-antioxidant-immunomodulatory
Contribute
Private, reviewed by a human. Not a public comment thread.