National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

What National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health does

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is a U.S. federal research agency within the National Institutes of Health, under the Department of Health and Human Services, headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. Established by Congress in 1999 (succeeding the 1992 Office of Alternative Medicine) and renamed from NCCAM in 2014, NCCIH conducts and funds scientific research on complementary health products and practices, with a research portfolio spanning natural products (dietary supplements, botanicals, probiotics) and mind-body interventions (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, massage, spinal manipulation). The agency's output includes approximately 1,970 funded grants and training awards contributing to over 11,000 peer-reviewed publications, with roughly 40% of its budget devoted to pain and pain management research.

NCCIH serves four principal constituencies: the general public (consumers seeking information on complementary approaches), healthcare professionals (clinical guidance and continuing education), scientific investigators (grant funding, the Clinical Research Toolbox, natural product quality standards, and the CARBON Program), and policymakers and health administrators (evidence informing coverage and practice guidelines). It operates the NIH Healthcare Systems Research Collaboratory and the NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory, supporting pragmatic real-world clinical trials embedded in healthcare delivery systems. The Natural Product Integrity Policy and Quality Control Program, in place since 2006, has reviewed over 500 research projects and represents a domain-standardization asset. NCCIH is led by Director Helene M. Langevin, M.D., and is governed by the National Advisory Council for Complementary and Integrative Health.

The agency's products are information resources and research infrastructure, not commercial goods: the NCCIH Clearinghouse, Health Topics A-Z, Herbs at a Glance, Know the Science, the NCCIH Clinical Digest newsletter, the HerbList mobile app, the Clinical Research Toolbox, and the NCCIH Research Blog. NCCIH is funded entirely through annual congressional appropriations to NIH, totaling $170.3 million in FY2024 (flat versus FY2023, up from $50.0 million in FY1999), with a separate Gift Fund accepting tax-deductible donations. All outputs are provided free of charge; the agency generates no product or service revenue.

Name

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Legal name

National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

Website

https://nccih.nih.gov

Company type

Public

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health is a U.S. federal research agency within the NIH that funds and conducts scientific research on complementary health products and practices, providing free evidence-based information to the public, healthcare professionals, researchers, and policymakers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Health Research Agency

NAICS

Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (54171), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Chronic Disease & NCD Program Evaluation (e.g., diabetes/CVD/cancer) (HLAJANAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Non-Communicable Disease Prevention & Chronic Disease Programs (BPAIAJAI), Clinical Research Ethics & Human Subjects Protection Authorities (IRB/REC Oversight) (HLAJACAG), Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

Keywords

• Complementary health research
• Integrative health research
• Natural product studies
• Mind body interventions
• Clinical trial funding

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethesda

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Congressional Appropriations: NCCIH is funded through annual congressional appropriations to the National Institutes of Health. Funding has grown from $50 million in FY 1999 to $170.3 million in FY 2024. The center does not generate revenue from products or services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

NCCIH is a U.S. federal research agency that conducts and supports scientific research on complementary and integrative health products and practices, including natural products (dietary supplements, botanicals, probiotics) and mind-body interventions (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, massage therapy, spinal manipulation). It also disseminates evidence-based information to the public, healthcare professionals, and researchers through its website, Clearinghouse, publications, and clinical trials registry, and funds extramural research through grants.

Product overview

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) is a federal research agency within the NIH that does not offer commercial products. Instead, it provides a portfolio of information resources and services including the NCCIH Clearinghouse, Health Topics A-Z, Herbs at a Glance, Know the Science educational materials, the NCCIH Clinical Digest newsletter, the HerbList™ mobile app, the Clinical Research Toolbox for researchers, and the NCCIH Research Blog. These services are designed to disseminate evidence-based information about complementary and integrative health approaches to the public, healthcare providers, and researchers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HerbList™: Mobile app providing information about herbs and botanicals, including common names, scientific evidence, potential side effects and cautions.

Products and services

• NCCIH Clearinghouse Information service providing publications and searches of Federal databases of scientific and medical literature on complementary and integrative health approaches. Staffed Monday-Friday 10am-4pm ET via toll-free phone, TTY, and email in English and Spanish.
• Health Topics A-Z Research-based information resource covering complementary health approaches and specific health conditions, designed for general consumers seeking evidence-based health information.
• Herbs at a Glance Brief fact sheets providing basic information about specific herbs or botanicals including common names, scientific evidence, potential side effects, and cautions.
• Know the Science Educational initiative that explains scientific topics related to health research, providing content to help consumers understand the science behind complementary and integrative health topics.
• NCCIH Clinical Digest Monthly e-newsletter summarizing the state of the science on complementary and integrative health practices for specific health conditions, including links to clinical guidelines and research, targeted at healthcare professionals.
• HerbList Mobile App Mobile application providing research-based information about specific herbs and botanicals, including common names, scientific evidence, potential side effects, and cautions, designed for consumer use.
• Clinical Research Toolbox Web-based information repository to facilitate the conduct of high-quality clinical research studies on complementary health approaches, part of NCCIH's scientific research infrastructure for investigators.
• NCCIH Research Blog Blog platform for disseminating research updates, funding opportunity announcements, and scientific information from NCCIH staff to the public and research community.
• NCCIH Research Grants and Training Awards Grant funding and research training awards provided to scientific investigators and research institutions conducting research on complementary and integrative health approaches.

Quantifiable outcome

• Echinacea use dropped from 7.6% to 0.9% among U.S. adults following evidence dissemination (2002-2012)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• NIH (collaboration with other organizations)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 March 2025NIH launched a new toolkit and funding opportunity to support clinical trials of music-based interventions (MBIs) for brain disorders of aging, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke. The initiative aims to generate rigorous evidence for the efficacy and impact of MBIs through early-phase feasibility studies guided by the NIH MBI toolkit.
• NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management CollaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017NCCIH partnered with the Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and seven other NIH Institutes and Centers in 2017 to launch the Pain Management Collaboratory (PMC). The partnership supports development, implementation, and testing of cost-effective, large-scale, real-world research on nonpharmacologic approaches for pain management in military and veteran healthcare delivery organizations. Currently supporting 11 pragmatic clinical trials.
• Achieve Life Sciences, Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015NCCIH entered a public-private partnership with Achieve Life Sciences in 2015 to advance clinical trials of Cytisine, a natural product from the Laburnum anagyroides plant used for smoking cessation in Eastern Europe for decades. NCCIH invested approximately $1.7 million supporting pre-clinical safety and toxicology studies through the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutic Network, enabling FDA acceptance of the Investigational New Drug application. The partnership has progressed Cytisine through Phase 2b to Phase 3 clinical trials by end of 2019.
• NIH Office of Dietary SupplementscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration on the CARBON Program (Centers for Advancing Research on Botanicals and Other Natural Products), launched in 1999. The program promotes collaborative and transdisciplinary research on safety, effectiveness, and mechanisms of action of botanical dietary supplements. Currently comprises three Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Centers and two Centers for Advancing Natural Products Innovation and Technology.
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsored the TACT (Trial to Assess Chelation Therapy) clinical trial starting in 2002 to evaluate EDTA chelation therapy for coronary artery disease. Follow-up study TACT2 launched in 2016 with NCCIH, NHLBI, NIDDK, and NIEHS support. NCCIH invested approximately $54.9 million total in the TACT trials.
• National Eye Institute (NEI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCCIH contributed approximately $1.5 million to AREDS2 clinical trial led by NEI to evaluate whether lutein and zeaxanthin could replace beta-carotene in the AREDS formulation for age-related macular degeneration. AREDS formulations have become available over-the-counter and reduced risk of advanced AMD by approximately 25%.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Cancer Institute (NCI): Fellow NIH Institute/Center that funds extramural and intramural research, operates a clearinghouse-style public information function, and co-sponsors large pragmatic trials. NCI is comparable as a peer federal research agency of similar scale and operational structure.
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI): Fellow NIH Institute/Center and active co-funder of the TACT/TACT2 chelation trials with NCCIH. NHLBI shares the same federal appropriations funding model, extramural/intramural structure, and clinical trials infrastructure.
• National Institute on Aging (NIA): Fellow NIH Institute/Center focused on aging-related research, with overlapping interests in cognitive health, supplements (e.g., AREDS2 collaboration), and pragmatic trials. NIA operates under the same congressional appropriations and grant-funding model as NCCIH.
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS): Fellow NIH Institute/Center that co-funds pain research and pragmatic clinical trials within the Pain Management Collaboratory. NINDS shares NCCIH's extramural grant portfolio and clinical research infrastructure.
• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): HHS sister agency that funds comparative effectiveness research and disseminates evidence to clinicians and patients. AHRQ is comparable as a federal evidence-generation and dissemination body, though with a broader healthcare system focus rather than complementary modalities.

Emerging players

• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Independent nonprofit, nongovernmental research organization funded through the Affordable Care Act that funds comparative clinical effectiveness research. PCORI overlaps with NCCIH's pragmatic trial and patient-focused evidence dissemination mission but operates outside the federal NIH structure.
• Cochrane: International independent network producing systematic reviews of healthcare interventions, including complementary and integrative therapies. Cochrane is comparable as an evidence-synthesis and dissemination entity serving clinicians and consumers worldwide.
• Wellcome Trust: Large independent global charitable foundation funding biomedical research and evidence dissemination. Wellcome is comparable as a major non-federal research funder with public-facing science communication, though at a much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/nih
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/nihod
• Facebookfacebook.com/nih.gov
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-institutes-of-health

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments5 records

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Frequently asked questions about National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health