Can Rhodiola Crenulata Intake Improve Oxygen Saturation and Decrease the Incidence of Acute Mountain Sickness

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2011-05-01
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: All

Summary

Traditional folk medicine in the Arctic and Himalayan areas used Rhodiola species to enhance physical endurance, prevent aging, resist acute mountain sickness (AMS), and to treat fatigue, depression, anemia, impotence and respiratory infections. Rhodiola crenulata are widely used to prevent AMS in Himalayan areas and Lhasa in Tibet but none was examined by human study. The investigators conducted a randomized, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover study to investigate the efficacy of Rhodiola crenulata in preventing AMS.

• Phase: Phase 2
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital
• Collaborator: National Science Council, Taiwan

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

• age between 20 and 55 years.

• able to complete the study protocol of 9-day study regimens and mountain climbing twice.

• no prophylactic medication or herb one month before ascent.

• maintaining the same living conditions and habits four months before the first mountain climbing and four months between two mountaineering.

• living in the same altitude or within a difference of 200 meters.

• no additional physical training.

• no plan to gain or loss weight.

• no altitude exposure above 2500m.

Exclusion Criteria:

• any history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart failure, cerebral neoplasm, mania, renal or hepatic insufficiency.

• women in pregnancy or intending of pregnancy during the 4-month study period.