What does NRI do?
Nutraceuticals Research Institute (NRI) is an innovative research firm that specializes in natural products. Here at NRI, we focus exclusively on herbal products, essential oils, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements. Everything we test in our trials can already be found in stores like Whole Foods or Sprouts; our job is to help establish which of the hundreds of natural products on the shelves work–and which don’t.
Why does NRI do studies on natural products?
Many people believe that natural products are completely unregulated. This isn’t entirely accurate. The natural products in your local health food store are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to have independent clinical trials if they want to say things like “clinically proven” or even “shown to support immune function.” These agencies require some sort of proof that those claims are factual. And the claims have to be specific to your brand and formula. So when established brands have a star product and they want to see if they can make new claims, we’re who they call.
What is it like to join a NRI study?
All of the trials at NRI are non-invasive. That means, our trials require any procedures where medical instruments would be inserted into the body. You’re not a guinea pig here.
If you’re like most people, you hear clinical trial and think Grey’s Anatomy, last-ditch cancer treatments with lots of blood draws and risks. That work is important, but it’s not what we do. We don’t do weekly visits to dreary hospital rooms with invasive treatments. We conduct all of our studies locally in a fun and pampering environment.
For most studies, you’ll have a single on-site visit where we’ll spoil you with fun drinks (sometimes even some bubbly) and chocolates while you learn about the study before you start. Then we send you home with a supply of natural products from established brands (or placebos) and you do the rest. Participation usually involves taking a supplement or using an aromatherapy product every day, as directed. You’ll take some online surveys, and in some of our bigger trials, you may provide saliva or stool samples. You’ll know exactly what we will ask of you before you agree to join the trial.
We’ll send you compensation when you successfully complete the study, and at the end we have a zoom unveiling party where you learn what you had and get to be the first to know what our team found.
Who pays for these trials?
Some of our clinical trials are industry sponsored (meaning the company came to us with an idea in mind) and some are investigator initiated (meaning we came up with the idea and approached the company). In almost all of our studies, the product manufacturer or supplier is responsible for the cost of running the study. After all, if the study has positive results, they’re the ones benefitting from the findings.
When a supplier pays the costs for a study, they cover the expenses associated with the clinical trial. After all, clinical trials can be expensive! Each supplier also agrees–in writing–that they have no influence in the final study design, the statistical analysis, or the decision to publish the results. They also have no access to your information or any of the trial specifics. We are a 100% independent research firm and base those decisions on science.
Regardless of who sponsors a study, every single trial we conduce is approved by an independent ethics committee. This committee reviews that protocol to confirm qualifications, participant protection, and the absence of conflicts of interest. This ensures that our research team and trial processes are in compliance with legal and ethical guidelines protecting your rights and ensuring transparency in clinical research.
Why should I get Involved?
Joining a trial is a great way to help others! When you participate, we use the information gathered to inform natural product companies of how effective their products are. This helps companies more accurately communicate the effects of their products to consumers such as yourself. Participating in a trial with NRI is also an easy way to reap the benefits of using natural products for free. In addition to receiving free products, study participants are also compensated for their time spent taking products, doing online surveys, and collecting any trial specific samples.
To learn more about trials currently recruiting at NRI, click here: Current Trials