The purpose of this study was to see if Pueraria could alter presbycusis (hearing loss of aging) in rats. The rats received various doses of Pueraria for four weeks. The threshold of hearing was measured by auditory brainstem response (ABR,) which measures the sound level at which the brainstem responds to a sound level.
The study showed that Pueraria improved the hearing response of rats. Minimal side effects were seen. Hemorrheological studies measure factors involved in blood flow. These studies showed improvement with Pueraria treatment in the rats.
CONCLUSION: Pueraria improves the hearing loss of aging in rats. This could be due to increased blood flow, which was shown to occur with the Pueraria treatment. Perhaps, Pueraria can improve hearing loss in elderly human patients.
NOTE: Pueraria is Pueraria montana var. lobata, commonly known in China as gegen and in Japan as kudzu. It was, previously, called Pueraria lobata.
Presbycusis is a progressive hearing loss of both ears which occurs as part of the aging process.
“Hemorrheological studies” take into account microscopic, submicroscopic and macroscopic factors involved in circulation.
The article is in Chinese and is not available in English at this time. This summary is based on the author’s abstract, only.
To read the author’s abstract of the article click on the link to the author’s title of the article above.
PMID: 19947258.
Summary #405.