Three substances obtained from Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae were administered to rats with acute renal failure (ARF) induced by intramuscular injection of glycerol. The rats treated with the substances had significantly lower serum urea and creatinine levels than the untreated animals. In the treated group, the survival percentage was higher than that in the untreated group. Examination of kidneys showed that the treated group had significantly lighter renal damage than the untreated group. These results suggest that the three substances exert preventive and therapeutic effects on the ARF in rats and the effects are probably the result of adenosine antagonism.