Hear Complex
Hear Complex is a capsule taken twice daily[1]. The ingredients of Hear Complex are listed as Ginkgo biloba leaf extract, Rhodiola root extract, magnesium sulfate, vitamin B6, and vitamin A[1].
Treatment details
![Illustration of a bottle with a star on the front of it.](https://tinnitus.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/TC_icon_branded_supplements.png)
Type
Branded dietary supplement
Safety
Evidence of harm
Efficacy
Evidence that it is not effective
Recommended?
No
Claims for treatment
Hear Complex claim that it “could help to soothe out some irregularities within the auditory system, including noise or feeling like you’re starting to feel hearing damages [sic]” [1].
What is the treatment?
Hear Complex is a capsule taken twice daily [1]. The ingredients of Hear Complex are listed as Ginkgo biloba leaf extract, Rhodiola root extract, magnesium sulfate, vitamin B6, and vitamin A [1].
What are the downsides of treatment?
Potential side effects, allergic reactions and drug interactions from Ginkgo biloba [2]. Magnesium can cause minor but unpleasant side effects [3].
Cost – although we have been unable to trace a selling site listing a price.
Has there been research into this treatment?
Although there have been no papers published on Hear Complex as a supplement, there are a number of papers on the effects of its component parts.
What does the research say?
The limited evidence does not demonstrate that Ginkgo biloba is effective for tinnitus when this is the primary complaint. 4] It does not reduce the intensity of tinnitus or improve quality of life. [5]
There is no evidence that the use of vitamin B6 [6] or Vitamin A [7] improves symptoms in adults with tinnitus. Vitamin B6 and pre-formed Vitamin A can be harmful in large doses [6,8].
There is limited evidence that magnesium [9] may help tinnitus in people who are deficient in these elements.
There is no evidence that rhodiola is effective for tinnitus and there is limited evidence for its claimed therapeutic properties [10].
How high quality is the research?
A-C
Although independent evidence is limited, what there is does not show that the components of this supplement are effective for tinnitus. The
potential side effects may cause serious harm. We would suggest you talk to your GP before taking any new medication or supplement.
“Dietary supplements should not be recommended to treat tinnitus” [11]
Would Tinnitus UK support further studies into this treatment?
No
Comments
Practice guidelines do not recommend the use of Ginkgo biloba as a treatment for tinnitus [12, 13].
** A = Systematic review/meta analysis. B = Randomised control studies. C = Cohort studies. D = Case control studies. E = case studies/reports. +/- to be used to indicate quality within bands
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Donate todayAll online references accessed 11 March 2024 unless noted.
1. Nature Tricks. Hear Complex Review – Make the Best of Your Hearing Abilities!
https://nature-tricks.com/hear-complex/
2. Drugsite Trust. Ginkgo biloba. Available from https://www.drugs.com/cdi/ginkgobiloba.
html
3. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium.
www.ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium-Consumer/
4. Hilton MP, Zimmermann EF, Hunt WT. Ginkgo biloba for tinnitus. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (2013), Issue 3. Art. No.: CD003852. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD003852.pub3.
5. Kramer F, Ortigoza Á. Ginkgo biloba for the treatment of tinnitus. Medwave. (2018) Oct 17;18(6):e7295.
English, Spanish. doi: 10.5867/ medwave.2018.06.7294. Erratum in:
Medwave. (2018) Nov 13;18(7):e7337.
6. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin B6.
www.ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminB6-Consumer/
7. Brand, H. (1983). Neural therapy in tinnitus. Wein Med Wochenschr. (1983) 133(21). 545-547
8. 6. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. Vitamin A and Carotenoids. www.ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminA-Consumer/
9. Cevette MJ, Barrs DM, Patel A, et al. Phase 2 study examining magnesium-dependent tinnitus. International Tinnitus Journal. (2011);16(2):168-73
10. The Drugsite Trust. Rhodiola Rosea. www.drugs.com/npp/rhodiola-rosea.html
11. Coelho C, Tyler R et al. Survey on the Effectiveness of Dietary Supplements to Treat Tinnitus. American Journal of Audiology. (2016) 25(3): 184-205
12. British Society of Audiology. Practice Guidance – Tinnitus in Adults. (2021) Available from: www.thebsa.org.uk/resources/practice-guidance-tinnitus-in-adults/
13. Tunkel DE, Bauer CA, Sun GH, et al. Clinical Practice Guideline: Tinnitus. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery. (2014);151(2_suppl): S1-S40. doi:10.1177/0194599814545325