Bac kgro und Recent studies have revealed the important role of free radicals in renal damage induced by high-energy shock waves (HESW). This study aimed at investigating the effects of Ast ragal us membranaceus, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb, on free radical-mediated HESW-induced damage to renal tubules in a live rabbit model. Met hods Forty-five healthy male New Zealand white rabbits were randomly divided into three groups: cont rol group (n=15), sham group (n=15), and herb-treated group (n=15) 1 Three days prior to HESW application, the controls received verapamil (014mg/kg), the shams received physiological saline (-0ml), and the herb-t reated animals received Ast ragal us membranaceus (-14g/kg) int ravenously. HESW (1500 shocks, 18kV) was applied to the right kidneys of all anesthetized rabbits1 We measured superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels before and after shock treatment in blood and kidney homogenates1 Histopathological changes were also observed1 Results MDA levels increased and SOD activity decreased significantly in the sham group (P<0105 for both) after shock treatment1 MDA levels showed a much less increase in the cont rols (P<0105) and did not increase to statistically significant levels in the group receiving Ast ragal us membranaceus (P>0105). SOD values were significantly higher in the controls than in the shams (P<0105) 1 By cont rast, SOD levels recovered rapidly in the rabbits receiving Ast ragal us membranaceus, reaching a nadir within -4 hours, and returning to baseline more quickly than in control and sham rabbits (P<0105). Histopathological examinations showed that renal tubular damage in the cont rols was less severe than in the shams, while damage in the Ast ragal us membranaceus group was even more mild, with rapid recovery in comparison with the cont rols1 Conclusion This study provides preliminary evidence indicating that Ast ragal us membranaceus has strong protective effect son free radical-mediated renal tubular damage induced by HESW and that these effects are superior to the effect s of verapamil.