India's March to Halt the Emerging Cardiovascular Epidemic.

Ayurvedic physicians of ancient India (2500 and 500 BC) recognized the heart as a controlling center connected to the entire body through channels (siras and dhamanis), which supplied nutrients to various tissues and provided passage for waste products. They claimed that any obstruction in these channels led to sickness in the body and performed treatment on the basis of personal knowledge of various herbal formulations, which continue to be used by current practitioners of the traditional Indian systems of medicine. Practice of modern cardiology and treatment of heart disease with allopathic drugs became a reality in India soon after the world war II, and research on the pathogenic and therapeutic aspects of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) was also initiated during the same period. We present the current status of cardiovascular research in India with emphasis on emerging information on risk factors for CVD and Indian efforts for arresting growing incidence of CVD, providing affordable care, and discovering new remedies.