In this latest study, Traditional Chinese Medicine is shown to be effective at reducing complications following a heart attack.
Based on promising results in cellular and animal models, the State Food and Drug Administration of China approved its use for the treatment of stroke and angina pectoris—a heart condition characterized by reoccurring chest pain—in 1996.
The medicine, known as tongxinluo, is made of extracts derived from seven herbs and various animals—including scorpions, cicadas, and leeches. The compound, whose name means "to open the network of the heart," has long been used as a traditional Chinese treatment for patients who have had heart attacks and/or strokes. [courtesy of newweek.com]
The results showed that the incidence of MACCEs (major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events) was around 30 percent lower in the group that took tongxinluo, compared with those participants taking the placebo at 30 days of follow-up. These benefits persisted for one year after discharge, and no major side effects were recorded, indicating that the medicine was safe to use, the authors found.
"Many drugs have failed to achieve effects as impressive as this traditional Chinese medicine," Dr. Ying Xian, an author of the study who is at UTSW, said in a press release.
Read the full article here: Traditional Chinese Medicine Proves Effective in Modern Clinical Trial