TCM displays extraordinary cardioprotective effects

A study led by researchers from Changsha, China found that a traditional Chinese medicinal (TCM) formula called Bao-Xin-Tang can protect against the damage caused by acute myocardial infarction, commonly known as heart attack. They were able to determine this through in vivo experiments conducted in Sprague-Dawley rats.

• Each year, more than 800,000 Americans suffer from a heart attack, with 27 percent of these cases leading to death. Although the incidence of heart attacks has decreased in recent years, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S.
• Chinese herbal medicines have shown great potential in preventing or slowing the progression of cardiovascular diseases through their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Some examples of TCM that are clinically used to treat heart attack patients include Suxiao Jiuxin Pill and Compound Danshen dripping pills.
• Bao-Xin-Tang is a TCM that contains extracts from poor man’s ginseng (Codonopsis pilosula), astragalus, baizhu (Atractylodes macrocephala), poria (Wolfiporia extensa), hawthorn fruit (Fructus crataegi), kudzu (Radix puerariae), red sage (Salvia miltiorrhizae), peach seed, Szechuan lovage (Ligusticum wallichii), and safflower (Carthamus tinctorius). It is commonly used as a remedy for coronary heart disease, but it has not been observed to improve heart attack prognosis.
• In this study, the researchers evaluated the infarct size of rats that were pre-treated with Bao-Xin-Tang based on their electrocardiogram results. They also assessed the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of the extracts to determine if these contribute to the TCM’s cardioprotective properties.
• The results of the study showed that Bao-Xin-Tang significantly reduced infarction size and the levels of pro-inflammatory compounds. These were observed along with an increase in the activity of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory chemicals.

From these results, the researchers concluded that Bao-Xin-Tang has cardioprotective properties that can be attributed to its potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

The full text of the study is available at this link.

Read more news articles on the health benefits of various TCM formulas by visiting ChineseMedicine.news.

Journal Reference:

Wang Y, Wang W, Peng W, Liu W, Cai W, Xia Z, Zhang H, Xing Z. CARDIOPROTECTIVE ROLES OF THE CHINESE MEDICINAL FORMULA BAO-XIN-TANG ON ACUTE MYOCARDIAL INFARCTION IN RATS. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 2017;14(2). DOI: 10.21010/ajtcam.v14i2.8