1.    Introduction

Heart stroke disease is the second leading cause of death in the global [1, 2]. In Vietnam, the rate of this disease tends to increase in recent years and heart stroke is getting younger and younger. Heart stroke is also known as a sudden “brain attack”. There are three primary types of strokes including ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke and transient ischemic stroke, in which stroke induced by ischemic stroke accounts for the largest rate. It happens when the bloodstream through the course of supplying oxygen to the brain is blocked. Blood clots regularly cause blockages leading to ischemic stroke [3]. The principle of treatment is to break up the blood clots. Although there are numerous studies related to stroke, there is a lack of case reports on the treatment by herbal therapy. In this work, we report two cases of heart stroke patients who were completely cured by herbal medicine therapy and it does not depend on any Western medicine drug.

2. Case reports

The first case was recorded on 15th December 2021. The weather is cold. A 48-year-old Vietnamese man patient with sudden onset, weak left limb, and shaking associated with confusion, severely painful chest, and difficult breathing. His body has a lot of sweat. The blood pressure is low at 95/55mmHg. He can only lie down and it is hard to breathe when he sits up. The patient’s wife said that he fells unconscious while taking a shower in the bathroom at 7 pm. The patient’s relatives required and wanted to be treated with traditional Vietnamese medicine. Interestingly, after taking solution of herb extract for about 2 hours, patient’s health quickly recovered and he is able to sit up.

The second case was recorded on 22nd March 2022. The weather is very cold. At 2 am, a 23-year-old Vietnamese man felt a sharp pain in his chest. He is very tired and his limbs cannot move. He feels more pain when his body moves, cold feet and nausea. The blood pressure is low 98/58mmHg. He was taken to the nearest medical station and was diagnosed with acute heart stroke. Doctors have prescribed drugs and he took drugs for 24 hours but more serious disease level. He stopped taking Western medicine. His relatives require and want him to use herbal medicine to treat. We prepared the herbal medicine immediately. Interestingly, after 30 minutes of taking solution of herb extracts, the pain is relieved. It is not pain and fatigue like before taking the herbal medicine. After sleeping for about two hours, the pain is still mild. After about 5 hours, the pain is completely gone.

The experience in all heart stroke cases is similar. The herbal prescription strategy was to eliminate wind and cold, dilate blood vessels, inhibit thrombosis, dissolve blood clots and combine using heating lamp. Herb formulas and ingredients were used orally in Table 1.

Table 1. Herb formula and ingredients for the treatment of acute heart stroke in two reported cases

3. Discussion

The formula is prescribed for one day of treatment. Drugs are extracted by boiling water and divided into three utilizing times. In this remedy, herbs have functioned as: Elsholtzia cristata Willd has the effect of wind dispelling which is similar to the function of Saposhnikovia divaricata being one of the compositions in Xiaoxuming decoction commonly used to treat stroke [4]. In my knowledge, the ischemic stroke belongs to the category of wind. Hence, a herbal ingredient having wind dispelling function needs to be recommended in Formula. Cinnamomum cassia L. has effects of cold elimination and warming system of acupuncture spots. Persica vulgaris Mill has effects of anticoagulant, vasodilation and increasing blood flow. Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge has the benefit of dilating blood vessels, improving blood coagulation in blood vessels and inhibiting thrombosis, regulating blood lipids. This herb is used to treat clinical cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases [5]. Sauropus androgynus (L.) Merr has the effect of clearing heat toxins. It is reported that Sauropus androgynus (L.) is used to relieve fever. Although serial studies have revealed the unusual link between the consumption of this herb and the induction of a chronic and irreversible obstructive disease [6], it is consumed as a common vegetable in Vietnam. Pheretima praepinguis has effects of vasodilation, fibrin lowering agents and anticoagulants. Glycyrrhiza glabra L. mediates reconciliation between herbs. The combination of internal using herb medicine and Pheretima praepinguis brings good results for the treatment of acute heart stroke disease. Vietnamese herbal medicine can be used as a safe and effective alternative to pharmaceutical drugs for acute heart stroke.  In this case, the therapy of herbal medicine is more effectively than Western medicine. The treatment results are confirmed after about 2 to 5 hours of taking herb extracts which are herbal recipes for stroke.

4. Conclusions

In conclusion, Vietnamese herbal medicine can be an effective alternative option to oral pharmaceuticals for treating heart stroke disease. Herb formula and ingredients in this work need to be concerned. Moreover, additional clinical trials with longer study periods are necessitated to have a strong conclusion for treatment therapy of ischemic stroke.

Authors’ contributions

Investigation, writing-original draft, writing-review and editing.

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the herbal medicine laboratory, Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Doctors in the local medical station.

Funding

Not applicable

Conflicts of interest

Author declares that it has no financial or commercial conflicts of interest

References

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