The work summarizes many years of experience in the use of medicinal plants by the population within the modern borders of Belarus. For the first time, the species composition of higher vascular plants used in herbal medicine has been established. Thus, Belarusians used 449 species of higher vascular plants for medicinal purposes. Out of them, 396 species are wild and 53 are cultivated. Wild species (including 307 native and 89 adventitious) are united into 269 genera, 90 families, 53 orders, 7 classes, and 5 divisions. Taxonomic, geographical and biomorphological characteristics of plants are given. The use in folk medicine of individual representatives of higher vascular plants by divisions, as well as the main methods of their application, is considered. The need to develop legal regulation mechanisms at the national level in the field of management of traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources is noted.
The publication was prepared under the UNESCO project “Capacity Building for the Safeguarding of Traditional Knowledge Associated with Genetic Resources and Legal Regulation of Access to It in the Republic of Belarus” under the Participation Program for 2022-2023.
S. S. Savchuk, PhD in Biology, Head of the Flora and Plant Systematics Laboratory, V. F. Kuprevich Institute of Experimental Botany, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Reviewer:
A. M. Makiejeva, PhD in Biology, Associate Professor
Head of the National Coordination Centre on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-sharing, Institute of Genetics and Cytology, NAS of Belarus
Translator:
M. G. Pyzhova, lead translator
Institute of Genetics and Cytology, NAS of Belarus
Species Diversity of Medicinal Herbs Used by Belarusians. / S. S. Savchuk ; V. F. Kuprevich Institute of Experimental Botany, NAS of Belarus. ‒ Minsk : Pravo & Ekonomika 2023. – 84 p. – ISBN 978-985-887-106-2.