The use of medicinal plants is not a recent trend. Long before the advent of the modern pharmaceutical industry, herbal remedies played a central role in the treatment of many diseases.
Before cardiac surgery: a major challenge
Treating heart failure was a considerable challenge before the era of cardiac surgery. Valvular heart disease and weakening of the heart’s pumping function were the main causes of cardiac failure.
At that time, therapeutic options were extremely limited. Treatments focused primarily on relieving symptoms, particularly pulmonary congestion, through the use of basic diuretics and bloodletting.
Bloodletting involved removing a certain amount of bloodBlood is composed of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and plasma. Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide. White blood cells make up our immune defense system. Platelets contribute to blood from the patient, with the aim of reducing the volume overload placed on a weakened heart.
A plant with unexpected effects
In 1785, an English physician, William Withering, first described the beneficial effects of Digitalis in a 40-year-old woman with advanced heart failure.
The plant, known in English as foxglove—because its bell-shaped flowers can accommodate a finger—had been administered according to a traditional remedy.
After one week of treatment, the patient’s symptoms had markedly improved, an observation that was remarkable for the time.
Toward the birth of modern pharmacology
Nearly a century later, a decisive step was taken. The German chemist Oswald Schmiedeberg, considered the father of modern pharmacology, succeeded in isolating the first pure crystal derived from digitalis.
This achievement marked a major turning point: for the first time, an active substance was extracted, purified, and studied scientifically.
The modern era of the pharmaceutical industry had begun.
A symptomatic advance, but with limitations
Although digitalis demonstrated clear benefits in relieving the symptoms of heart failure—particularly shortness of breath and fluid retention—it had no effect on the fatal progression of the disease.
The improvement was real, but temporary.
To alter long-term outcomes, new approaches would need to be found.
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