Testing a plant-based medicine for chest pain relief

Plain-English translation of NCT03789552 on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗ · Source last updated April 2025 · Translation generated July 2026 · How we translate trials

Phase 3 — Testing in thousands of people, comparing the treatment against what doctors currently use. This is the last big step before approval.

What is this trial?

This study is testing T89, a botanical medication made from water extracts of two traditional Chinese herbs (Danshen and Sanqi), to see if it can help reduce chest pain in people with stable angina. About 765 people will be randomly assigned to take either a high dose of the medication, a low dose of the medication, or a placebo (a dummy pill with no active ingredient) twice daily for 8 weeks. Researchers will measure how well the treatment works and monitor for any side effects.

Stable angina—chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart—can severely limit daily activities and quality of life. Doctors want to know if this medication can safely and effectively reduce how often these chest pain episodes happen, potentially offering patients another treatment option.

Do you qualify?

You likely qualify if…

you are between 18 and 90 years old
you have been diagnosed with stable angina that is triggered by physical activity and relieved by rest or nitroglycerin
you have documented coronary artery disease, such as a previous heart attack (at least 3 months ago), an abnormal stress test, or blocked arteries seen on imaging
you are willing to stop taking most of your current chest pain medications and keep only one blood pressure or heart rate medication if needed
you have experienced at least two angina episodes in the two weeks before starting the study
you are willing to use birth control if you are a woman of childbearing age or have a partner who could become pregnant

You likely don't qualify if…

you are pregnant or breastfeeding
you are currently taking multiple chest pain medications and cannot reduce to just one
you have had a heart attack within the last 3 months
you are unable or unwilling to temporarily stop most of your current heart medications during the study
you cannot commit to the study visits and follow the medication schedule

What participation looks like

First, you will enter a 3-week preparation phase where most of your current chest pain medications are gradually stopped (keeping only one if needed), and you'll take two exercise tolerance tests to measure your baseline fitness. Then you'll be randomly assigned to take either high-dose medication, low-dose medication, or placebo twice daily for 8 weeks, with exercise tests at weeks 6 and 8 to measure improvement. After the 8-week treatment period, you can rejoin the open-label phase for an additional 44 weeks where everyone receives the medication at a standard dose and can restart their other heart medications as needed.

AI-generated summary from trial data · Jul 16, 2026 · Not medical advice

Trial locations(1 site)

United States

Southwest Florida Research LLC, Naples, Florida