The use of herbal drugs in cardiovascular diseases: A review article

Aim. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the herbal medicines used for cardiovascular diseases and patient education about these drugs.Method. This study was a systematic review of herbal medicines used for cardiovascular diseases. Herbal medicines were extracted from databases PubMed, Science Direct, and Highwire (Website of Stanford University) using search keywords Herbal, Hyperlipidemia, Heart failure, Cardiovascular and Hypertension. To describe the effective herbal ingredients, side effects, interactions, and patient education, a nursing book on herbs (Kostka et al, 2005) and the Comprehensive Atlas of Medicinal Plants (Stephen et al, 2004) were used.Findings. Herbal drugs used for cardiovascular diseases in Iran consist of Antum, Alicom, Diuretic, Olea-crat, Crataegus Microphylla and Cratagus.Conclusion. Some of cardiovascular diseases can be controlled by herbal drugs. Patient teaching about precaution, interaction and avoidance of arbitrary use of drugs are important.