Abstract

This article reviews the history of the study and use of herbal drugs— phytotherapy-- to treat cardiovascular diseases in the country of Belarus for the purpose of applying this information to combat cardiovascular disease on a broader scale. Some of the medicinal botanicals (motherwort, hawthorn, mistletoe, arnica, etc.) used empirically in the past are now used as effective contemporary medicines. Modern research methods and elements of evidence-based medicine allow us to hope for wider use of medicinal botanicals in medical practice today--specifically to treat cardiovascular diseases. Common Belorussian, Russian, and English names are provided for the many botanicals discussed, in addition to their official Latin names.

Keywords: Traditional medicine, herbal medicine, cardiovascular disease, history of Belorussian phytotherapy, arnica, phytotherapy.