THE CHINESE ARE COMING. EARLY CLINICAL TRIALS FROM NANJING ON HERBAL HEART FAILURE THERAPY.

We are beginning to see more and more cardiac papers from China, appearing in Western Medical Journals. I just read of one published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology June 4 2013, by the group from Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing China. Led bu Prog Xinli Li, the paper is entitled, "A multicenter randomized double-blind parallel-group placebo-controlled study of the effects of qili qiangxin capsules in patients with chronic heart failure"
Apparently, the qili qiangxin capsules have been used since the good old days of the warring periods, for the treatment of heart failure, with good success.
Dr Li and colleagues studied 512 patients aged 18-75 with at least a 5-6 year history of NYHA class 2-4 heart failure. The trial involved 23 research centers across China, and patients were enrolled from 2011-2012. All patients enrolled were on standard heart failure therapy. They were then randomised to two groups. One group received 4 caps of qili qiangxin capsules three times a day and the other group placebo. The treatment period was 12 weeks.
After 12 weeks, they found that all the endpoints of repeat admission, 6 min walk, LV function, improvement in NYHA classification and also a 30% reduction in NT Pro-BNP.
Basically, it looks like it worked. The qili qiangxin capsues does help heart failure patients and using NT Pro-BNP reduction, it may also improve survival. However, it is important to note that non of these endpoints are hard. There was a small reduction in cardiac death, but the numbers are small.
I really do not know what gili qiangxin contains. It does not look like one compound, but a series of active ingredients in various amounts, just to keep things interesting.
Be that as it may, I was glad to note that the Chinese cardiac fraternity is being to have to confidence of publishing their work in re-known western journals. Also, they are beginning to research into their herbal therapies although they know that they cannot patent them.
Obviously, these findings will have to be confirmed by larger clinical trails, with hard endpoints if possible.
In the meantime, it does look like there is some basis for qili qiangxin capsules in heart failure. The study reports that it did no harm.
I also learn that with romanised Pu Tong Hua, Q can come without a vowel.

We all learn something.