Chinese scientists have found a large number of natural anti-stroke compounds from nearly 8,000 kinds of Chinese medical herbs, among which nearly 200 kinds could be used for stroke treatment and recovery. The research results have been published in the international journal "Science Report".

Strokes are medical emergencies with some of the highest incidence and mortality rates in the world, with two thirds of global deaths caused by strokes occurring in Asia. Strokes can happen to people of all ages, but are more common in men aged over 55, with a history of smoking, obesity and heart disease. Strokes occur when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, and can cause paralysis, brain damage and permanent disability.

Western stroke medication is only effective in the recovery period for stroke victims at a late stage. As for early stage treatment, very few western drugs can work effectively for acute intervention in the pro-phase and onset stage of stroke, said Dr. Dai Shaoxing from Kunming Institute of Zoology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, one of the authors of the research paper.‍

CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences) scientists have used the molecular docking approach to study nearly 8,000 kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs by screening Chinese medicine prescriptions for the clinical treatment of stroke, combined with data sourced from home and abroad.

The research has obtained 2,355 candidate anti-stroke compounds from 30,438 small molecule compounds. This study has expounded the potential mechanisms of various anti-stroke Chinese herbal medicines, and provides a promising starting point and broad scope for future research and development of anti-stroke drugs.