Herbs, hypercholesterolemia

Using an experimental restenosis animal model of dietary-induced hypercholesterolemia combined with balloon injury of abdominal aortas, we demonstrated in this series of studies that antioxidants from the traditional herb medicines, magnolol (36), SM (37), and EGb (38), could attenuate the intimal response to balloon injury in cholesterol-fed rabbits by inhibiting intimal hyperplasia in abdominal aortas. In addition, these antioxidant treatments also markedly decreased atherosclerotic lesion areas in thoracic aortas without endothelial denudation. 

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