Effect of a mixture of Acanthopanax senticosus and Elsholtzia splendens on serum-lipids in patients with hyperlipemia

The serum-lipids were determined in 31 hyperlipemia patients before and after treated with the mixture of Acanthopanax senticosus and Elscholtzia splendens. While the mean value of serum beta-lipoprotein decreased from 902 +/- 228 mg/dl to 608 +/- 189 mg/dl (P less than 0.001), the mean value of HDL-C increased from 52.6 +/- 12.5 mg/dl to 61.2 +/- 15.4 mg/dl (P less than 0.001). Thus the ratios of HDL-C to total cholesterol (HDL-C/TC) and to LDL-C (HDL-C/LDL-C) increased significantly, the arteriosclerosis index (AI) decreased significantly. The results indicate that the mixture of Acanthopanax senticosus and Elsholtzia splendens could improve the lipid-metabolism in hyperlipemia patients so that it might play a good role in preventing or alleviating arteriosclerosis.