Angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and heart failure are common heart diseases. According to the report of World Health Organization, heart diseases, which are mainly caused by smoking, lack of exercise, and unhealthy diets, represent the leading cause of mortality worldwide. With social and economic development, the incidence of heart diseases is increasing due to the life stress accumulation and unhealthy diet and exercise habits. The current therapies for heart diseases in western medicine include slowing the progression of coronary atherosclerosis, alleviating symptoms, and improving life quality, thereby delaying the progression of complications and minimizing the incidence of cardiovascular events. However, the adverse effects of medication and the high cost of long-term nursing care prompt many patients to seek treatment by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It is well known that TCM focuses on regulating yin and yang as well as deficiency and excess of the human body as a whole. According to the TCM theory, the primary causes of heart diseases are phlegm accumulation, blood stasis, and qi blockage in the chest due to the deficiency of healthy qi. Based on patients’ conditions, the treatment should target symptoms in acute cases and root cause in non-acute cases. TCM has inherent advantages in the treatment of heart diseases, with unique efficacy and slight side effect. With the gradual recognition and acceptance worldwide, TCM has gradually become a new effective means for treating heart diseases. 

Since 2014, Chinese Acupuncture & Moxibustion, Acupuncture Research, China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, Chinese Journal of Integrated Traditional and Western Medicine, Liaoning Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, World Chinese Medicine, Natural Product Research and Development, and The Chinese Journal of Clinical Pharmacology have joined the Journal Translation Project (JTP, http://jtp.cnki.net/bilingual). As of 2020, 1 719 articles from these journals have been included in JTP and published in both Chinese and English, which has enhanced the international influence of these journals. To further promote the international dissemination of TCM culture and journals, and to inform more readers about the research progress of heart disease treatment with TCM, China National Knowledge Infrastructure collaborated with the editorial offices of these journals to constitute a panel of experts to select 26 excellent articles on heart disease research with TCM. These articles are recommended by the editorial boards of the journals in which they were originally published, covering theoretical, mechanism, and clinical studies. They are compiled into the book Heart Disease (TCM) (English edition) as a part of China’s Medicine Progress Series (English edition). These articles fully demonstrate the unique therapies and good efficacy of TCM in treating heart diseases, with scientific methodological support and objective conclusions. The original articles were published in Chinese, and this book is a compilation of English versions of the selected articles.

As the editor-in-chief, I believe this book will provide useful experience and methods from the Chinese community of Chinese medicine for the heart disease treatment worldwide. This book provides scientific, practical, and up-to-date literature for those who engage in TCM research worldwide, which help to enhance the international influence of TCM journals and contribute to the dissemination of TCM culture.

Editor-in-chief: LIU Jianxun