The potential role of herbal medicines in the treatment of chronic stable angina pectoris: a review of key herbs, and as illustration, exploration of the Chinese herbal medicine approach

Abstract

Herbal medicines have been used for centuries within different cultures to treat cardiovascular disease, including stable angina pectoris. However, the use of herbs varies within traditions of natural medicine, and how they are understood to work in systems such as Chinese medicine, for example, is vastly different from the pharmaceutical model that seeks to reduce herbs to their active constituents. This review first discusses, individually, key herbs used within Western, Indian, and Chinese herbalism to treat stable angina pectoris and their main active constituents and pharmacological actions. The second part of the paper then specifically explores how angina is treated traditionally with Chinese herbal medicine, a unique approach to the understanding of health and illness underpinned by philosophies and theories that describe the physiological functioning and pathological changes in the body in terms very different from those of biomedicine. A foundational account of the guiding theories of Chinese medicine is followed by a description of the cardiovascular system and the etiology and pathogenesis of angina from the Chinese medical perspective. This forms the basis for understanding the rationale for construction of Chinese herbal medicinal formulae for treating angina pectoris. The scientific evidence of the efficacy of some Chinese herbal formulae is discussed.

Identification of alkaloid constituents from Fangchi species using pH control liquid‐liquid extraction and liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry

“…It is well known that the therapeutic effects of medicinal herbs are closely related to their chemical components, which depend on the plant species. It is also widely accepted that the holistic actions of multiple components contribute to the efficacy of herbal medicines . Thus, phytochemical profiling is required to determine the therapeutic effects of herbal medicines and for their conventional quality control.…”

“…It is also widely accepted that the holistic actions of multiple components contribute to the efficacy of herbal medicines. [2] Thus, phytochemical profiling is required to determine the therapeutic effects of herbal medicines and for their conventional quality control. The identification of chemical components plays an important role in understanding pharmacological effects, classifying species, and controlling the quality of medicinal herbs.…”

Antagonist molecules in the treatment of angina

“…Herbs such as Salviae miltiorrhizae Radix (‘dan shen’ in Chinese), Notoginseng Radix (‘san qi’), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (‘chuan xiong’), and Crataegi fructus (‘shan zha’) are common Chinese herbs used in the treatment of a wide range of cardiovascular conditions, including angina pectoris. Key botanicals used to treat stable angina pectoris, including their main active constituents and pharmacological actions are elegantly reviewed by O’Brien and Vitetta [131]. …”

Metabolic Alterations in Two Cirsium Species Identified at Distinct Phenological Stages using UPLC‐QTOF/MS

“…Natural products isolated from plants remain an important source of new pharmaceuticals today. The therapeutic effects of herbal medicines are closely associated with their chemical elements (O'Brien and Luis Vitetta, ). Variations in the chemical composition of plants have been attributed to various factors such as abiotic stress, growth conditions, different phenological stages, and genetic (Filippini et al ., ; Jordán et al ., ; Lee et al ., ).…”