Salvia miltiorrhiza in angina pectoris and myocardial infarction: A bibliometric analysis

• Salvia miltiorrhiza used for angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. • Evidence from clinical trials needed systematic integration in bibliometric analysis. • Chinese institutions lead global research on Salvia-based cardiovascular therapeutics. • Exploring bioactive constituents important to elucidate pharmacological mechanisms. • We provide an effective paradigm for clinical translation of complementary medicine. Angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, as the common causes and symptoms of cardiovascular disease, are one of the important research fields of traditional and complementary medicine. Using bibliometric methods, this study conducted a multidimensional analysis of the research trajectory of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the treatment of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction from 2007 to 2024, with a focus on its research characteristics, hot spots and frontiers. Title, topic, abstract and author keywords related to Salvia miltiorrhiza, myocardial infarction and angina pectoris were utilized in the Web of Science Core Collection database to maximize the search related to the research topic. Co-authorship, co-occurrence and co-citation analysis of publications, countries, institutions, journals, authors, references and keywords were conducted using Citespace 6.3.R1, SCImago Graphica Beta 1.0.42, VOSviewer, Bibliometrix R Package and Microsoft Excel. The annual publication volume of studies related to the treatment of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction using Salvia miltiorrhiza exhibits phased changes, demonstrating a general upward trend. China is the country with the highest number of publications and citations, and it has established collaborations with multiple countries. Canada and India have emerged as significant participants in recent years. The number of authors and publications meets the requirements of Price's Law and the core author in this research field is Li, Xiang. The top three keywords are Salvia miltiorrhiza (75 occurrences), myocardial infarction (70 occurrences) and Danshen(37 occurrences). The current hotspots of Salvia miltiorrhiza in the treatment of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction mainly focus on three aspects: the pharmacological effects of this herb and its active ingredients, the treatment mechanism of angina pectoris and myocardial infarction, and the physiological and pathological relationship of its network pharmacology. These findings not only provide a solid foundation for the clinical application of Salvia miltiorrhiza but also demonstrate its potential in preventing and controlling cardiovascular diseases.