UNCORRECTED PROOF Phytomedicine ] (]]]]) ]]]–]]] Impact of chisan s (ADAPT-232) on the quality-of-life and its efficacy as an adjuvant in the treatment of acute non-specific pneumonia M. Narimanian a , M. Badalyan a , V. Panosyan a , E. Gabrielyan b , A. Panossian b,Ã , G. Wikman c , H. Wagner d a Department of Family Medicine, Yerevan State Medical University, Yerevan, Armenia b Armenian Drug and Medical Technology Agency, Yerevan, Armenia c Swedish Herbal Institute, Viktor Rydbergsgatan 10, SE-411 32, Gothenburg, Sweden d Centre of Pharma-Research, Pharmaceutical Biology, Butenandtstr. 5-13, University of Munich, D-81377 Munich, Germany Received 29 July 2004; accepted 22 November 2004 Abstract A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomised (simple randomisation), pilot (phase III) study of Chisan s (ADAPT-232; a standardised fixed combination of extracts of Rhodiola rosea L., Schisandra chinensis Turcz. Baill., and Eleutherococcus senticosus Maxim) was carried out on two parallel groups of patients suffering from acute non- specific pneumonia. Sixty patients (males and females; 18–65 years old) received a standard treatment with cephazoline, bromhexine, and theophylline: in addition, one group of 30 patients was given Chisan mixture, whilst the second group of 30 patients received a placebo, each medication being taken twice daily from the beginning of the study for 10–15 days. The primary outcome measurements were the duration of antibiotic therapy associated with the clinical manifestations of the acute phase of the disease, together with an evaluation of mental performance in a psychometric test and the self-evaluation of quality-of-life (QOL) (WHOQOL-Bref questionnaires) before treatment and on the first and fifth days after clinical convalescence. The mean duration of treatment with antibiotics required to bring about recovery from the acute phase of the disease was 2 days shorter in patients treated with Chisan compared with those in the placebo group. With respect to all QOL domains (physical, psychological, social and ecological), patients in the Chisan group scored higher at the beginning of the rehabilitation period, and significantly higher on the fifth day after clinical convalescence, than patients in the control group. Clearly, adjuvant therapy with ADAPT-232 has a positive effect on the recovery of patients by decreasing the duration of the acute phase of the illness, by increasing mental performance of patients in the rehabilitation period, and by improving their QOL. Both the clinical and laboratory results of the present study suggest that Chisan (ADAPT-232) can be recommended in the standard treatment of patients with acute non-specific pneumonia as an adjuvant to increase the QOL and to expedite the recovery of patients. r 2005 Published by Elsevier GmbH. Keywords: Adaptogens; Eleutherococcus senticosus; Rhodiola rosea; Schisandra chinensis; Chisan s ; ADAPT 232; Mental performance; Quality-of-life; Placebo-controlled parallel-group clinical trials 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 ARTICLE IN PRESS www.elsevier.de/phymed 3B2v8:06a=w ðDec 5 2003Þ:51c XML:ver:5:0:1 PHYMED : 148 Prod:Type:FTP pp:127ðcol:fig::4Þ ED:SunitaS: PAGN:Ashok SCAN:Raghwho 0944-7113/$ - see front matter r 2005 Published by Elsevier GmbH. doi:10.1016/j.phymed.2004.11.004 Ã Corresponding author. E-mail address: ap@shi.se (A. Panossian).