The Effects of Herbal Medicines on CardiovascularDiseases

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent a significant global health burden with an ever-increasingprevalence. They continue to be the leading causes of mortality worldwide. The use of herbal medicinesremains an alternative therapeutic approach for several diseases, including CVDs. Currently, there is anunprecedented interest in utilizing herbal preparations within modern medicinal systems. This interestis fueled by several factors, including their cost-effective therapeutic potential compared to standardmodern therapies and the general perception that they are safe. However, the claimed safety of herbalpreparations still needs proper testing. Therefore, public awareness should be raised regarding thesafety, toxicity, potentially life-threatening adverse effects, and possible herb-drug interactionsassociated with medicinal herbs. Over the years, laboratory data have demonstrated that medicinal herbsmay have therapeutic value in CVDs by interfering with various CVD risk factors. Consequently, therehave been numerous efforts to translate studies on medicinal herbs from the laboratory bench to clinicalpractice, aiming to effectively incorporate herbs into CVD treatments. In this review, we introduceCVDs and their risk factors, provide an overview of herbal use for disease treatment in general andCVDs in particular, and gather and review data on the ethnopharmacological therapeutic potentials andmedicinal properties of four widely used plants: Ginseng, Ginkgo biloba, Ganoderma lucidum, andGynostemma pentaphyllum