Hydrogen Water Shows Promise for Allergic Rhinitis Nasal Symptoms
- Authors
- Qidi Hu, Lili Kong, Yi Zhou, Wen Shen, Yao Sun, Jing Deng
- Journal
- Frontiers in Pharmacology
- Year
- 2025
- DOI
- 10.3389/fphar.2025.1670372
- Study Type
- clinical
- Peer Reviewed
- Yes
- Country
- China
- Health Condition
- Allergic Rhinitis
- Body System
- Respiratory
TL;DR
**TL;DR:** Scientists tested different nasal rinses to help people with allergies, and found that rinsing with resveratrol (a plant compound) works best at clearing stuffy noses, while cinnamon bark rinses make people feel the most comfortable overall. This shows that natural plant-based treatments might be just as good as regular medicine for allergy relief.
Key Finding
Hydrogen-rich water showed significant improvements in quality of life for allergic rhinitis patients compared to placebo, ranking among the top treatments alongside established medications like fluticasone.
Summary
Researchers reviewed 23 studies involving 3,584 patients to compare how well different nasal irrigation treatments work for allergic rhinitis (a condition where the nasal passages become inflamed due to allergies). They found that several treatments—including resveratrol (a plant compound), cinnamon bark, hydrogen-rich water, and the steroid budesonide—reduced nasal symptoms and improved quality of life better than a placebo (inactive treatment).
Practical Takeaway
This systematic review suggests that hydrogen-rich water may support quality of life improvements in allergic rhinitis, though it ranked below botanical treatments like cinnamon bark in this analysis. However, the review combined results from multiple studies of varying quality, and individual study details about hydrogen-rich water's specific formulation and delivery method were not specified, so more targeted research is needed to establish optimal use.
Abstract
Purpose: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a globally prevalent disease, and nasal irrigation is one of its effective treatments. This study aims to compare the efficacy and effectiveness of different nasal irrigation treatments on AR patients' nasal symptoms and quality of life (QoL). Methods: Studies on AR patients using different nasal irrigation treatments were searched from Cochrane, Embase, Pubmed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), VIP Database, and China Biology Medicine disc (CBM) up to 29 March 2025. The quality of the included studies was independently assessed using the NIH quality evaluation tool. The primary outcomes included relevant scale scores from the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS), and secondary outcomes included those from the Rhinoconjuctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ). Random-effects or fixed-effects models were selected for network meta-analysis, and mean difference (MD) was calculated with a 95% credibility interval (CrI). Surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) was employed to rank various interventions. R 4.4.1 was used for statistical analysis. Results: 23 studies involving 3,584 patients were identified. The results of the network meta-analysis showed that compared with the placebo, multiple nasal irrigating agents were more significantly efficacious and effective. In terms of alleviating nasal symptoms (a lower score indicated better effectiveness), resveratrol was the most efficacious [MD: -7.7, 95% CrI (-14.0, -1.1)] (SUCRA = 92.08%), and budesonide also showed significant efficacy and effectiveness [MD: -5.6, 95% CrI (-10.0, -0.99)] (SUCRA = 83.39%). In terms of improving QoL (a lower score indicated better efficacy), cinnamon bark was the most efficacious [MD: -1.3, 95% CrI (-1.6, -0.96)](SUCRA = 95.78%). In addition, hydrogen-rich water [MD: -1.2, 95% CrI (-2.4, 0.10)](SUCRA = 82.58%) and fluticasone [MD: -0.83, 95% CrI (-0.94, -0.71)](SUCRA = 81.49%) also showed significant differences from the placebo. Conclusion: Resveratrol is the most efficacious in relieving nasal discomfort, and cinnamon bark performs best in optimizing QoL. The results of this study provide scientific evidence for the use of botanical drugs (such as resveratrol and cinnamon) in nasal irrigation for the treatment of AR, offering new options for this disease. This is conducive to promoting the application and verification of some traditional drugs within the framework of modern medicine. Systematic review registration: identifier CRD 420251054166.