Chinese herb pairs for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: Compatibility effects, pharmacological potential, clinical efficacy, and molecular mechanisms.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases are pathophysiologically interconnected. In the past, researchers have mainly focused on developing one herbal medicine treatment. Single herb often fails to address the multifactorial pathology of these diseases. The pathogenesis and progression of the disease are complex, making the therapeutic effect of a single herb potentially limiting. Traditional Chinese Medicine emphasizes herb pairs, which enhance therapeutic efficacy through synergistic interactions.

Aim Of The Review: This review focuses on the mechanisms and potential clinical applications of Chinese herb pairs such as Astragali Radix-Carthami Flos, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix-Puerariae Lobatae Radix, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix-Chuanxiong Rhizoma, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix-Notoginseng Radix, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix-Carthami Flos, Astragali Radix-Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Notoginseng Radix-Carthami Flos, and Astragali Radix-Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, as well as provides a scientific basis for clinical studies of Chinese herb pairs.

Materials And Methods: A systematic search and collection of studies on Chinese herb pairs in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases was carried out using electronic databases such as PubMed, CNKI, Wan Fang Database, Baidu Scholar, and Web of Science. The keywords searched included Chinese herb pairs, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, Astragali Radix, Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Carthami Flos, Notoginseng Radix, and so on.

Results: Studies revealed that the Chinese herb pairs had more beneficial effects than single herb and demonstrated a variety of roles in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Preclinical studies indicate that Chinese herb pairs are more effective than single herb in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases by modulating disease-related pathways and molecular targets. Further research is needed to fully explore their potential. The review also outlines the potential clinical applications of these Chinese herb pairs, highlighting their safety and efficacy.

Conclusions: Chinese herb pairs show good promise as an alternative therapy for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases due to their multi-component and multi-target characteristics. Consequently, further research is necessary to fully explore the potential of Chinese herb pairs in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, based on the current data.