Ischemic stroke is a major cause of mortality and disability around the world. Currently, there is very little that can be done to treat a stroke other than using recombinant tissue-plasminogen activator for ischemic stroke, but the use is limited to within three hours of an acute episode and has high risks for possible hemorrhagic events. This paper examines a wide spectrum of herbs with research supporting their use for stroke events, whether preventative or for neurologic rehabilitation post stroke. Many of these herbs have a long history of use, primarily in the Chinese medicine system, and there is more and more preclinical and some clinical research supporting their use. The herbs discussed in this paper include Panax ginseng (Asian ginseng), Panax notoginseng (tienchi ginseng), Salvia miltiorrhiza (red sage, dan shen), Astragalus membranaceus (astragalus), Bu Yang Huan Wu Tang (Great Yang Restoration Decoction), Centella asiatica (gotu kola), Withania somnifera (ashwagandha), Bacopa monnieri (brahmi), Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo), and Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary).
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