Danshen extracts decrease blood C reactive protein and prevent ischemic stroke recurrence: a controlled pilot study.

The efficacy of a danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) dripping pill (DDP) for secondary stroke prevention was evaluated in patients with ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The preparation also contained Panax notoginseng (sanqi) and Dryobalanops camphor. Patients who had suffered from ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA) within the previous 20 days were managed according to established guidelines, and were divided into groups to receive either DDP or non-DDP treatment according to their time of enrolment. Mortality, cerebrovascular events and any suspected adverse reactions during the 1-year follow-up were recorded and analysed. Hematological and hemorheological parameters were measured at the start of the study (baseline) and the end of the follow-up period. A total of 106 patients with ischemic stroke/TIA were enrolled, of which 52 were allocated to take DDP and 54 were in the control group. Recurrent stroke/TIA was observed in five patients (9.6%) with DDP and in 13 patients (24.1%) without DDP during the follow-up. Recurrence in the patient group taking DDP was lower than that in the control group (p<0.05). No significant differences in intracranial hemorrhage and mortality were detected between groups (p>0.05). Blood C reactive protein decreased significantly in patients with DDP compared with patients without DDP. These results indicate that DDP treatment may reduce the risk for stroke/TIA recurrence, and this reduction of risk may be associated with its antiinflammatory effects. Copyright (c) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.