QSWZZP significantly improved neurobehavioral abnormalities and reduced the cerebral infarction rate in the MCAO rats by significantly decreasing AIF, P53, Cyt C, APAF‐1, and cleaved caspase‐8 mRNA expressions and Cyt C and APAF‐1 protein expressions, as well as increasing NDRG4 protein expression in the rat brain tissues. Here, APAF1 is linked to brain infarction.