Chinese Herbal Products for Ischemic Stroke.

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Pharmacology
• Neurology

Background:

• Traditional Chinese herbal products (CHPs) have a long history of use for stroke-related conditions.
• Understanding current prescription patterns of CHPs for ischemic stroke is crucial for clinical practice and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prescription patterns and combinations of CHPs used for ischemic stroke patients in Taiwan.
• To identify the most frequently prescribed CHPs and their combinations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of ischemic stroke prescriptions from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) between 2000-2010.
• Descriptive statistics for co-prescription patterns.
• Multiple logistic regression to assess factors correlated with CHP use.

Main Results:

• A total of 15,896 ischemic stroke patients were analyzed.
• The average prescription contained 5.82 CHPs.
• Bu-yang-huan-wu-tang (BYHWT) was the most frequent formula (40.32%), often combined with Shu-jin-huo-xue-tang (SJHXT).
• Dan Shen was the most frequent single herb (16.50%), often combined with Shi Chang Pua and Yuan Zhi.

Conclusions:

• BYHWT and Dan Shen are the leading CHPs for ischemic stroke in Taiwan.
• Findings offer insights into individualized CHP therapy for stroke.
• Results can inform future pharmacological studies and clinical trials on CHPs for ischemic stroke.