Angina pectoris is a clinical syndrome that mainly presents with paroxysmal pectoralgia induced by sudden myocardial ischemia and hypoxia due to inadequate coronary blood flow from a narrow coronary artery. The disease is common among men >40 years of age and has a high attack rate. If it is not treated correctly, myocardial infarction and death may occur. Therefore, appropriate therapy is highly important to clinical prognosis. Coronary artery disease is characterized by chest discomfort and pain in traditional Chinese medicine. Regulating vital energy, reducing phlegm, onyang and dredging collaterals are the primary treatment targets of Chinese herbs. Salvianolate is used for treating this disease, but its components are so complex that its purity is difficult to control. In recent years, research has found that depside salts from Salvia miltiorrhiza are the crucial effective components that have shown apparent effects in antioxidation, anticoagulation, cytoprotection and antiaging, among others. For the past few years, depside salts of Salvia miltiorrhiza in lyophilizied powder form for injection have been used for adjuvant therapy to treat coronary angina pectoris of Qi blood stagnation.
