Trial reportBMC complementary and alternative medicine2013
Rhodiola crenulata extract for prevention of acute mountain sickness: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover trial.
Trial report in BMC complementary and alternative medicine, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01536288 (Can Rhodiola Crenulata Intake Improve Oxygen Saturation and Decrease the Incidence of Acute Mountain Sickness.), which is not on this map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Can Rhodiola Crenulata Intake Improve Oxygen Saturation and Decrease the Incidence of Acute Mountain Sickness.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Efficacy and safety ofFrontiers in pharmacology · 2025Pooled it
- Interventions for preventing high altitude illness: Part 3. Miscellaneous and non-pharmacological interventions.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2019Pooled it
- Altitude hypoxia and hypoxemia: pathogenesis and management.Signal transduction and targeted therapy · 2026Review
- In Vitro Antiviral Activity ofPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Altitude illnesses.Nature reviews. Disease primers · 2024Review
- Altitudinal Variation of Metabolites, Mineral Elements and Antioxidant Activities ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Quality Evaluation of Randomized Controlled Trials ofEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2021Review
- Phytochemical, Antibacterial and Antioxidant Activity Evaluation ofMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2020Article
- Three-Minute Step Test for Predicting Acute Mountain Sickness: A Post Hoc Analysis of Rhodiola Crenulata Extract for Prevention of Acute Mountain Sickness, a Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Crossover Trial.Journal of acute medicine · 2018Article
- Plasma proteomic study of acute mountain sickness susceptible and resistant individuals.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Mitochondrial protective and anti-apoptotic effects ofNeural regeneration research · 2017Article
- Protective effects of traditional Tibetan medicine Zuo-Mu-A Decoction () on the blood parameters and myocardium of high altitude polycythemia model rats.Chinese journal of integrative medicine · 2017Article
- Incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness and associated symptoms in children trekking on Xue Mountain, Taiwan.PloS one · 2017Observational
- Phenolic Compounds from the Roots of Rhodiola crenulata and Their Antioxidant and Inducing IFN-γ Production Activities.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2015Article
- Effects of rhodiola crenulata on mice hearts under severe sleep apnea.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 6 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundRhodiola crenulata (R. crenulata) is widely used to prevent acute mountain sickness in the Himalayan areas and in Tibet, but no scientific studies have previously examined its effectiveness. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study to investigate its efficacy in acute mountain sickness prevention.
methodsHealthy adult volunteers were randomized to 2 treatment sequences, receiving either 800 mg R. crenulata extract or placebo daily for 7 days before ascent and 2 days during mountaineering, before crossing over to the alternate treatment after a 3-month wash-out period. Participants ascended rapidly from 250 m to 3421 m on two separate occasions: December 2010 and April 2011. The primary outcome measure was the incidence of acute mountain sickness, as defined by a Lake Louise score ≥ 3, with headache and at least one of the symptoms of nausea or vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, or difficulty sleeping.
resultsOne hundred and two participants completed the trial. There were no demographic differences between individuals taking Rhodiola-placebo and those taking placebo-Rhodiola. No significant differences in the incidence of acute mountain sickness were found between R. crenulata extract and placebo groups (all 60.8%; adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.02, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.69-1.52). The incidence of severe acute mountain sickness in Rhodiola extract vs. placebo groups was 35.3% vs. 29.4% (AOR = 1.42, 95% CI = 0.90-2.25).
conclusionsR. crenulata extract was not effective in reducing the incidence or severity of acute mountain sickness as compared to placebo.
trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT01536288.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.