Ancient Chinese root herb protects heart tissue in animal studies
Lin C, Li W, Wen S, Ye D, Zhao Z
Medicinal Plants
The deep purple-flowered sage growing in traditional medicine gardens has spent centuries treating heart disease in China, and this analysis of 26 animal studies shows measurable biological reasons why it works.
Danshen is the root of a red-flowering sage plant that Chinese medicine has used for heart problems for generations. Researchers pooled results from 26 animal studies and found the root extract consistently reduced heart damage markers and cell death while boosting protective antioxidants after simulated heart attacks. The effect showed up across nearly 700 animals, though scientists say bigger, higher-quality studies are still needed before drawing firm conclusions.
Key Findings
Across 26 studies with 691 animals, Danshen significantly reduced key heart damage markers including LDH (SMD -3.93) and CK-MB (SMD -2.77)
Myocardial infarct size dropped by an average of 10.05 percentage points and cardiomyocyte apoptosis rate decreased in treated animals
Danshen increased the antioxidant enzyme SOD (SMD 2.01) while reducing oxidative stress marker MDA (SMD -1.85), suggesting multiple protective mechanisms
chevron_right Technical Summary
A large analysis of animal studies finds that Danshen, a root used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, significantly protects heart tissue from damage during blood-flow interruption and restoration, cutting cell death markers and boosting the body's antioxidant defenses.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Cardioprotective effects of Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma on myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in animal models: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma (Danshen, DS) is the dried root and rhizome of the plant Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge. Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners use it in the treatment of card...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
Was this useful?
Want to tell us more? (optional)
Thanks for the note!
Something went wrong — please try again.
Too many submissions. Try again in an hour.
Ancient Amazonian forests were planted and tended by Indigenous farmers
Forests and fruits we romanticize as wild — including many plants now in our kitchens and gardens — may exist in their current abundance precisely because an...
Salvia miltiorrhiza, also known as red sage, redroot sage, Chinese sage, or danshen, is a perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae, highly valued for its roots in traditional Chinese medicine. Native to China and Japan, it grows at 90 to 1,200 m elevation, preferring grassy places in forests, hill...