In 2025, Fajian Ren and a team from Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine reviewed how flavonoids from safflower, like chalcones and quercetin, work in the body. They looked at many studies on these compounds, found in safflower petals used in traditional medicine for blood flow and pain relief.

In 2025, Rachael Frost and team from Frontiers looked at 209 clinical trials testing 64 over-the-counter products like herbs and supplements for depression in adults. They checked if these helped symptoms more than placebos or matched antidepressants, grouping results by strong evidence (over 10 trials), emerging (2-9), or single studies.

In 2025, Yosuke Tsuchiya and Eisuke Ochi from Hosei University studied 24 male athletes doing intense leg exercises. They gave half of them 3.6g of omega-3 supplements daily for four weeks before and one week after, while the other half got a placebo, checking muscle strength, soreness, and inflammation markers.

A 2025 randomized, placebo-controlled trial in Nutrients tested the effects of 125 mg/day of a high-potency, fermented ginger extract (12.5 mg gingerols) over eight weeks in 30 men and women (average age 56) with mild to moderate joint or muscle pain. Participants on ginger reported less muscle pain after exercise, improved functional capacity, and lower overall stiffness.