Effects and Mechanisms of Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine in the Treatment of Ischemic Cardiomyopathy

The incidence of ischemic cardiomyopathy (ICM) is increasing yearly, which seriously endangers human health. There is rarely any remarkable progress in the treatment of ICM from the available drugs. Recent research shows that natural herbal medicine may have beneficial effects in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases. The effective extracts of the herbs may improve myocardial ischemia through various actions, such as hemodynamic, hemorheological, and vascular actions, and on various cell biology aspects, such as intracellular calcium balance, mitochondria function, cell apoptosis, and scavenging free radicals. Here, we review the animal research progress and potential mechanisms in the treatment of ICM using extracts of well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicines.