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Digitalis purpurea - L.                
                 
Common Name Foxglove
Family Scrophulariaceae
Synonyms Digitalis alba. Digitalis campbelliana. Digitalis purpureolutea. Digitalis speciosa.
Known Hazards All parts of the plant are highly poisonous[9, 10, 19, 65, 76, 222]. Unsafe for self-medication. Monitoring by a physician to determine correct dose recommended. For overdose give activated charcoal. Can be fatal especially to children [301].
Habitats Acid soils in woods, heaths, mountain grasslands etc[9, 17].
Range Western Europe, including Britain, from Norway to Spain and Sardinia.
Edibility Rating  
Medicinal Rating  
Care
Well drained soil Moist Soil Semi-shade Full sun

Summary       

Physical Characteristics       
 icon of manicon of flower
Digitalis purpurea is a BIENNIAL growing to 1.2 m (4ft) by 0.6 m (2ft in).
It is not frost tender. It is in flower from Jun to September, and the seeds ripen from Aug to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees.It is noted for attracting wildlife.


Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.
Digitalis purpurea Foxglove


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koeh-053.jpg
Digitalis purpurea Foxglove
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Llez
   
Habitats       
Woodland Garden Dappled Shade; Shady Edge;
Edible Uses                                         
None known
Medicinal Uses


Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Cardiac;  Diuretic;  Homeopathy;  Stimulant;  Tonic.

The foxglove is a widely used herbal medicine with a recognised stimulatory effect upon the heart. It is also used in allopathic medicine in the treatment of heart complaints. It has a profound tonic effect upon a diseased heart, enabling the heart to beat more slowly, powerfully and regularly without requiring more oxygen[254]. At the same time it stimulates the flow of urine which lowers the volume of the blood and lessens the load on the heart[254]. The plant contains cardiac glycosides (including digoxin, digitoxin and lanatosides). Digitoxin rapidly strengthens the heartbeat but is excreted very slowly. Digoxin is therefore preferred as a long-term medication[254]. The leaves are cardiac, diuretic, stimulant and tonic[4, 9, 21, 46, 171]. The leaves should only be harvested from plants in their second year of growth, picked when the flowering spike has grown and about two thirds of the flowers have opened[4]. Harvested at other times, there is less of the medically active alkaloid present[4]. The seed has also been used in the past[4]. The leaves also have a very beneficial effect on the kidneys, they are strongly diuretic and are used with benefit in the treatment of dropsy[4]. Great care should be exercised in the use of this plant, the therapeutic dose is very close to the lethal dose[222]. See also the notes above on toxicity. A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves[9]. It is used in the treatment of cardiac disorders[9].
Other Uses
Dye;  Preservative.

An infusion of the plant prolongs the life of cut flowers[54]. Root crops growing near this plant store better[54]. An apple-green dye is obtained from the flowers[168].
Cultivation details                                         
Easily grown in ordinary garden soil, especially if it is rich in organic matter[1]. Prefers a light dry soil in semi-shade[17] but succeeds in full sun if the soil is moist[200]. Grows well in acid soils[17]. Plants are hardy to about -25°c[187]. The foxglove is a very ornamental plant that is easily naturalized in the semi-shade of a woodland[1]. It contains glycosides and forms the basis of an important heart medicine for which it is cultivated commercially[4]. This species is commonly used by herbalists, whereas D. lanata is more commonly grown for supplying the pharmaceutical industry[238]. The plant contains much greater concentrations of the medically active ingredients when it is grown in a sunny position[115]. The flowers are very attractive to bees[4, 24]. Individual plants can produce up to 2 million seeds[4]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233]. A good companion plant, it stimulates the growth of nearby plants, growing well with pine trees[18, 20, 54].
                                                                                 
Propagation                                         
Seed - surface sow early spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c[175]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. If you have sufficient seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring or autumn.
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Expert comment                                         
 
      
Author                                         
L.
                                                                                 
Botanical References                                         
17200
                                                                                 
Links / References                                         

[1]F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).
[4]Grieve. A Modern Herbal.
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[9]Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants.
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[17]Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles.
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.
[18]Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants.
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
[20]Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.
Fairly good.
[21]Lust. J. The Herb Book.
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[24]Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.
Fairly good with lots of ideas about creating wildlife areas in the garden.
[46]Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants.
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[54]Hatfield. A. W. How to Enjoy your Weeds.
Interesting reading.
[115]Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.
Written about a hundred years ago, but still a very good guide to the useful plants of Britain.
[168]Grae. I. Nature's Colors - Dyes from Plants.
A very good and readable book on dyeing.
[171]Hill. A. F. Economic Botany.
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.
[175]Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed')
Very readable magazine with lots of information on propagation. A good article on Corydalis spp.
[187]Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2.
Photographs of over 3,000 species and cultivars of ornamental plants together with brief cultivation notes, details of habitat etc.
[200]Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[222]Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America.
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[233]Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.
[238]Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses.
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[254]Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
[301]Karalliedde. L. and Gawarammana. I. Traditional Herbal Medicines
A guide to the safer use of herbal medicines.

Readers comment                                         
 
Elizabeth H.
Bob Martin Sun May 20 2007
I have researched digoxin and it is not found in digitalis purpurea, but digitalis Digitalis lanata. I found this information in a PDR. It would be something wise to investigate.
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