the present invention relates to the identification of a naturally occurring species from the botanical family rhamnaceae family , and preferably from the genus zizyphus , which when consumed on a regular basis , treats cardiovascular disease . although such naturally occurring botanical sources have been traditionally utilized for a variety of treatments , it had not been , however , previously disclosed that the active herbal composition described herein , would produce a composition with the remarkable therapeutic effects for the prevention , treatment or amelioration of cardiovascular disease . specifically , the herbal or botanical plant employed in the present invention is in the genus zizyphus , some species of which are as follows : zizyphus vulgaris , zizyphus . lotos , zizyphus . jujuba , zizyphus baclei , zizyphus cenoplia , zizyphus barelei , zizyphu . napeca , zizyphus . mauritiana , zizyphus spina , zizyphus mucronata zizyphus nummularia , zizyphus spinosi , zizyphus joazeiro , zizyphus mistol , zizyphus lotus , zizyphus nummularia , zizyphus nummularia , zizyphus joazeiro , zizyphus joazeiro , zizyphus mucronata , zizyphus sativa . in a preferred embodiment the invention comprises a composition which further includes at least one of the zizyphus species listed above or extract thereof . more particularly , the present invention utilizes the jujube berry , a fruit from the zizyphus genus . this fruit is widely grown in south asia and india in rather dry mild temperature conditions . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention the jujube fruit used is from the south asian variety . the jujube is best described as a pectoral fruit in the same class as raisins , dates and figs . the smooth - leaved chinese jujube ( ziziphus jujuba mill ) of the family rhamnaceae , is of ancient culture in northern china . the jujube variety from south asia is often merely called jujube , or chinese date . other english names are indian plum , indian cherry and malay jujube . while the indian jujube variety is cultivated to some extent throughout its natural range it is mostly grown commercially in the indian subcontinent . there are over 90 cultivars of this fruit , differing in the habit of the tree , leaf shape , fruit form , size , color , flavor , keeping quality , and fruiting season . among the important cultivars , eleven are described in the encyclopedia wealth of india : banarasi ( or banarsi ) pewandi , dandan , kaithli , muria mahrara , narikelee , nazuk , sanauri 1 , sanauri 5 , thornless and umran , banarasi karaka , desi alwar , umran , gola , kaithli , katha phal , dandan , gular bashi , kheera , nazuk , seo ber , var . 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 . the fruit is typically consumed fresh , dried , by jujube paste , made from gum - arabic and sugar , mixed with orange - flower water , or through a decoction of the root . particularly the jujube paste may be dissolved in a decoction of jujubes and evaporated . in the indian subcontinent , the ripe fruit are mostly consumed raw , but are sometimes stewed or candied . residents of southeast asia eat the unripe fruits with salt . ripe fruits crushed in water form a very popular cold drink . acid types are used for pickling or for chutneys . in africa , the dried and fermented pulp is pressed into cakes resembling gingerbread . young leaves are cooked and eaten in indonesia . in venezuela , a jujube liqueur is made and sold as crema de ponsigue . seed kernels are eaten in times of famine . it is not surprising therefore , that the jujube fruits have also been employed in a number of therapeutic ways over the years . these include the treatment of pulmonary ailments and fevers , or mixed with salt and chili peppers , for the treatment of indigestion and biliousness . the dried ripe fruit is a mild laxative . the seeds are sedative and are taken , sometimes with buttermilk to halt nausea , vomiting and abdominal pains in pregnancy . they assist in diarrhea and poulticed on wounds . mixed with oils , they are rubbed on rheumatic areas . the leaves are applied as poultices and are helpful in liver troubles , asthma and fever and together with catechu , and administered when an astringent is needed as on wounds . the bitter astringent bark decoction is taken to halt diarrhea and dysentery and relieve gingivitis . the bark past is applied to sores . the root is purgative . a root decoction is given as a febrifuge , taenicide and emmenagogue . and the powdered root is dusted on wounds . juice of the root bark is said to alleviate gout and rheumatism . strong doses of the bark or root may be toxic . an infusion of the flowers serves as an eye lotion . the therapeutic composition disclosed in the present invention however , exhibits the highly advantageous combination of being highly effective in the treatment of cardiovascular disease , relatively inexpensive and of low toxicity . specifically , the herbal composition of the invention is remarkably effective against cardiovascular disease including but not limited to athererosclerosis , post - angioplasty restenosis , coronary artery disease , angina , and small artery disease or other diseases caused by or as a result of hypercholesterolemia . in particular the present invention relates to a composition of an herbal or botanical source that when consumed regularly significantly lower the low - density lipids and cholesterol in the body if these levels are elevated above what is safe and normal . the dosage however administered to a particular patient will depend upon a variety of conditions , i . e ., the disease ( s ) under treatment and the severity thereof , the age and condition of the patient , etc . generally , however , a dosage ranging from 1 to 10 fruits per day , preferably from about 3 - 6 fruits and more preferably 5 fruits a day . the composition is preferably taken 1 - 3 times per day and more preferably 2 - 3 times per day . the herbal composition when taken for about 12 - 18 weeks reduces the blood cholesterol from 8 - 25 %, preferably from about 10 - 23 % and more preferably about 20 %. the total lipid reduction after treatment with the herbal composition of the present invention ranges from about 15 - 25 %, and sometimes 18 - 23 %. the herbal composition can be prepared by a number of formulations , varying from consuming the fruit alone , soaked jujube , candied jujube , in capsule form , in a decoction drink or by organic extract . with respect to the soaked jujube fruit preparation the fresh ripe fruit is immersed in fresh water either at room temperature or a temperature near boiling with a ratio of water to fruit from about 2 parts water weight by weight to about 10 parts water weight by weight to about 1 part fruit . after immersing the fruit in water , the fruit is soaked for a period of time allowing for the fruit to be absorbed by the water , preferably overnight . an organic extract of the fruit for the composition may also be used . the jujube fruit is ground , minced or crushed in an appropriate manner and extracted using as the solvent water , hydrophilic organic solvents or a mixture thereof . organic solvents used for extraction are most appropriately especially , lower alcohols such as methanol or ethanol . the method of extraction is not particularly restricted , and the active ingredients can be extracted by immersing in the solvent maintained at room temperature to a temperature near the boiling point . in the present invention the herbal or botanical composition may also be consumed / administered by a variety of means and may utilize different parts of the whole plant . in particular the fruit ( whole or in part ), stem , bark , seed , kernel , pit , pollen , leaf or root can be used in the preparation . the composition can employ either fresh or dried forms or in the form of an aqueous , alcoholic or other organic extract . the herbal composition can combine the different forms of the herb . the herbal or botanical composition may be administered orally , topically , or by rectum with an intended delivery to either the alimentary canal or absorption of active components at the site of administration . the oral composition can be administered in a pharmaceutical dosage form suitable for enteral administering to humans such as tablets , capsules , syrups , liquid , suspension , liposomal preparation , or powder . furthermore , the herbal composition can be used for the treatment of cardiovascular disease alone or in combination with a pharmaceutical cardiovascular agents including but not limited to lipid lowering agent , platelet aggregation inhibitors , antithrombotic agents , calcium channel blockers , angiotensin converting enzyme ( ace ) inhibitors and β - blockers . the mechanism by which the herbal or botanical composition of the present invention works is not presently known . it is theorized , however , that the composition of this invention work by its ability to decrease total cholesterol and ldl cholesterol levels in serum and to increase the beneficial hdl cholesterol . while the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms , there is shown in the examples and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated . it should be further understood that the title of this section of this specification , namely , “ detailed description of the invention ”, relates to a requirement of the united states patent office , and does not imply , nor should be inferred to limit the subject matter disclosed and claimed herein . fresh fruits , almost ripe , pits removed , are washed thoroughly with water to remove any debris , the stem stubs are removed , and fruits are consumed with pits removed ; 5 - 10 fruits are consumed two to three times per day . the physico - chemical composition of the product per 100 g of the product is approximately : moisture 81 . 6 - 83 . 0 g protein 0 . 8 g fat 0 . 07 g fiber 0 . 60 g carbohydrates 17 . 0 g total sugars 5 . 4 - 10 . 5 g reducing sugars 1 . 4 - 6 . 2 g non - reducing sugars 3 . 2 - 8 . 0 g ash 0 . 3 - 0 . 59 g calcium 25 . 6 mg phosphorus 26 . 8 mg iron 0 . 76 - 1 . 8 mg carotene 0 . 021 mg thiamine 0 . 02 - 0 . 024 mg riboflavin 0 . 02 - 0 . 038 mg niacin 0 . 7 - 0 . 873 mg citric acid 0 . 2 - 1 . 1 mg ascorbic acid 65 . 8 - 76 . 0 mg fluoride 0 . 1 - 0 . 2 ppm pectin ( dry basis ) 2 . 2 - 3 . 4 % malic acid traces oxalic acid traces quercetin traces twelve adults whose cholesterol levels were between 230 and 300 consumed the above - mentioned quantities for 12 weeks ; on an average , the reduction in blood cholesterol was about 20 %. eight subjects had total lipids reduced by about 23 %. soaked jujube : fresh fruits , almost ripe , are washed thoroughly with water to remove any debris , the stem stubs are removed and fruits are immersed in fresh water at room temperature with a 1 one part of fruit to 10 parts of water weight by weight . the fruits are set aside overnight and consumed the following day , with pits removed ; 5 - 10 fruits are consumed 2 - 3 times per day . candied jujube : fresh fruits , pits removed , slightly under - ripe , are washed thoroughly with water to remove any debris , the stem stubs are removed and the fruits are pricked with fork or a similar object lightly . the fruits are then immersed in a 2 % salt solution for 24 hours ; the next day , they are transferred to 3 % salt solution , raising the concentration of salt by 1 % each day until the final concentration of 8 % salt is reached ; after leaving the fruits in the 8 % solution for 24 hours , the liquid is drained and the fruits immersed in another 8 % salt solution containing 0 . 2 % potassium metabisulfite . this solution containing the fruits is then stored for 1 to 3 months at ambient room temperature . after a minimum of one month , the fruits are removed , rinsed with water , and cooked in sugar syrup containing citric acid , about 1 %. candied fruits are consumed , 5 - 10 fruits , 2 - 3 times per day . fresh fruits , almost ripe , pits removed , are washed thoroughly with water to remove any debris , the stem stubs are removed , and fruits are dried under vacuum after prickling their surface at 60 degree centigrade until the total amount of moisture left in the fruits is less than 5 %. the fruits are then powdered in a suitable mill and the powder filled in hard gelatin capsules ; 0 . 2 % metabisulfite is used before filling as stabilizer . suitable lubricants such as microcrystalline cellulose is added depending on the equipment requirement for filling the product into capsules , preferably size zero . in most instances , one capsules is equivalent to one fruit content and thus about 5 capsules are taken 1 - 3 times per day . the composition of the powder per 100 g is as follows : calories 104 moisture 5 g protein 4 . 12 g fat 0 . 53 g carbohydrates 7 . 21 g sugar 61 . 0 g fiber 3 . 44 g fresh fruits , almost ripe , pits removed , are washed thoroughly with water to remove any debris , the stem stubs are removed , and fruits are boiled in fresh water for about 10 to 15 minutes after crushing them . after cooling down , the decoction is consumed either directly or after straining the pulp . the decoction drink may be prepared fresh once a day and kept refrigerated until used . the quantity of decoction consumed is equivalent to about 5 fruits each time for 1 - 3 times per day . fresh fruits , almost ripe , pits removed , are washed thoroughly with water to remove any debris , the stem stubs are removed , and fruits are crushed and soaked in ethanol usp for about three weeks covered at ambient temperature . after three weeks period , ethanol usp solution is strained first through muslin cloth to remove pulp , which is then squeezed or compressed to extract more alcohol out of it , the portion being mixed with the strained liquid . many techniques commonly available in the pharmaceutical industry can be used to remove the solids from liquid as intended here . the ethanolic solution is then evaporated at elevated temperature under vacuum until a dry residue is obtained . the powdered residue is mixed with a suitable stabilizer such as 0 . 2 % metabisulfite and other excipients necessary for the filling of powder into capsules are added . the size of capsule is chosen such that each capsules represents content of about five fruits . one capsule is administered 1 - 3 times per day . in the present disclosure , the words “ a ” or “ an ” are to be taken to include both the singular and the plural . conversely , any reference to plural items shall , where appropriate , include the singular . from the foregoing it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be effectuated without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concepts of the present invention . it is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated is intended or should be inferred . the disclosure is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims .
a pharmaceutical composition suitable for the treatment of a condition selected from the group consisting of atherosclerosis , post - angioplasty restenosis , coronary artery disease , angina , small artery disease and other diseases caused by or are the result of hypercholesterolemia , or combination thereof comprising of a specific botanical plant . specifically , the present invention relates to compositions comprising the herb or botanical zizyphus jujube or extract thereof , which is useful in treating cardiovascular disorders , particularly those associated with elevated ldl and overall serum cholesterol levels . a method of preparing the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention and a method for treating a patient therewith are also disclosed .