Traditional Chinese medicine: cardiovascular drug development through a holistic framework

Holistic approachTraditional chinese medicines: plant diterpenoids (C 20 H 32 ) and triterpenoids (C 30 H 48 ) that provide a nearly inexhaustible source of potential medicinals Multiple active ingredients identi ed; most are plant diterpenoids and triterpenoids Diterpeoids (C 20 H 32 ) Triterpenoids (C 30 H 48 ) Mechanism of action identi ed by experimental studies Recently tested in large-scale randomised controlled trials Dates from 11 th century