Rhodiola Sacra Enhances Recovery from Sudden Deafness

Objectives: Ischemia and hypoxia are the important pathological mechanisms of Sudden Deafness (SD). Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are the important mediators of tissue injury during cochlear ischemia and reperfusion. Rhodiola Sacra (RS) is a typical traditional chinese medicine with property of anti hypoxia and antioxidant. This study was to observe the effect of RS on SD. Patients and methods: Both of RS group and non-RS group contained 26 ears. Patients in RS group were treated with RS, and the patients in non-RS group were treated with placebo. Hearing gains of these two groups were compared. RS was taken orally at the dosage of 560mg each time, three times a day for 10 continuous days. There were no significant differences in clinical features and audiological data between RS and non-RS groups. Results: The hearing gains of RS group at 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz were much higher than that of non-RS group correspondingly (P<0.01). Also, the hearing gains of RS group at PTA (pure-tone average of 250, 500, 1000, 2000, and 4000 Hz) were significantly higher than that of non-RS group (P<0.01). Conclusion: The hearing gains of RS group were much higher than that of non RS group. RS is effective in the therapy of SD.