[Clinical and experimental study of shenshao tongguan pian in treating angina pectoris of coronary heart disease].

Shenshao Tongguan Pian (SSTGP) is composed chiefly of saponins from the stem and leaf of Ginseng and Radix Paeoniae Alba, etc. The authors applied this remedy for the treatment of angina pectoris of CHD. From 1982-1988, the authors carried out a randomized double blind trial on altogether 565 cases of CHD divided into an experimental group to be treated with SSTGP and a control group treated with another TCM proprietory medicine, Dan Qi Pian, that had been used for many years clinically. The total effective rate of treating angina pectoris was 94.71% and ECG improvement rate 63.38% in experimental group whereas 66.99% and 23.38% respectively in the control group, the difference being very significant (P less than 0.01). Experiments with animals proved that SSTGP had more potent actions on CV system, such as dilatation of coronary arteries, promotion of coronary perfusion flow, lowering oxygen consumption of heart muscle, resisting the coronary spasm, anoxia and ischemia of heart muscle elicited by pituitrin, and prolongation of survival time of mice under anoxic state. In addition, laboratory examination also revealed SSTGP could promote the left ventricular output, lower the blood viscosity and inhibit the aggregation of blood platelets. Both acute and chronic toxicity tests showed SSTGP has no toxicity nor side effects. Therefore SSTGP is a new, safe and effective TCM proprietory remedy for CHD and angina pectoris.