Chinese Herbs Used For Recovery After A Stroke

Stroke is an interruption of blood flow to the brain that causes brain cells to die and can lead to long-term problems with language, mobility and thinking. Traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, has a pharmacopoeia of more than 100 herbs to treat patients recovering from stroke. TCM herbs can be combined in complex formulas, or used individually. Many TCM herbalists stress the importance of using whole plant parts---the entire root, leaf or flower---because this produces a greater therapeutic effect than extracting out a single active ingredient.

Forsythia

Forsythia, or Forsythia suspensa, also known as lian qiao, is a tall shrub with bright yellow flowers native to eastern Asia. It is one of the 50 fundamental, or most commonly used herbs in TCM. Researchers have studied forsythia for its ability to prevent brain cell death, caused when blood flow to the brain is interrupted during a stroke. A study published in the January 2006 issue of Phytomedicine investigated the role of caspases in nerve cell damage: caspases are enzymes that mediate brain cell death during a stroke. The research found that forsythia is an effective caspase inhibitor, since it blocked the actions of at least three types of caspases.

Fleeceflower

Fleeceflower, or polygonum multiflorum, also known as he shou wu, is a climbing vine with clusters of tiny white flowers that is used traditionally to rejuvenate the body. Fleeceflower is also a caspase inhibitor, according to the study in the January 2006 issue of Phytomedicine. The plant is also known for its stilbene glycosides, which are polyphenols with high antioxidant activity. A study published in the August 2009 issue of Free Radical Biology and Medicine discussed the role of polyphenols in protecting cells against oxidative stress, also known as free radical damage. The researchers found that the stilbene glycoside in fleeceflower has antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects that reversed brain cell injury and free radical damage caused by induced stroke in test animals.

Chai Hu Shu Gan San

Chai hu shu gan san, or Bupleurum Soothe the Liver Powder, is an ancient TCM formula used to treat a range of disorders, including depression. Post-stroke depression is considered a serious disorder in TCM because it affects about 40 to 60 percent of all stroke victims and can impede physical and cognitive recovery, according to a May 2010 report in the Journal of Chinese Integrative Medicine. Chai hu shu gan san is a complex formula used to treat post-stroke depression. The herbal content varies depending on the individual patient, but the basic formula may contain: bupleurum root, or bupleurum chinense; Chinese peony, or paeonia lactiflora; bitter orange, or citrus aurantium; red nut sedge, or cyperus rotundus; turmeric, or curcuma longa; and Szechuan lovage, or ligusticum wallichii.
All of these are important Chinese medicinal herbs used traditionally to regulate qi, treat depression, dissolve blood clots or treat stroke. A study published in the 2003 issue of Beijing Chinese Medicine compared a group of depressed post-stroke patients who were given chai hu shu gan san, to a similar group taking a prescription antidepressant. The reseacher found that 86.90 percent of the patients taking the TCM herb felt improvement, while only 66.42 percent of patients taking antidepressants felt any improvement. Chai hu shu gan san is also recommended for depression in "Biomedicine: A Textbook for Practitioners of Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine."