-IBIS-1.7.0-
rx
herb
Digitalis purpurea (Foxglove)
Botanicals

definition

botanical name(s): Digitalis purpurea

synonyms: foxglove, purple foxglove

part(s) used: leaves

qualities:

affinities: heart

actions: diuretic, sedative

dosage:

» tincture: 5 - 10 drops

» powder: 0.1 mg after meals (cf. Weiss)

specific indications: weak, rapid, and irregular heart action, with low arterial tension; broken compensation; weak, rapid, flaccid pulse; weak heart sounds; dusky countenance, with dyspnea, cough, jugular fullness, and weak cardiac action; edema, anasarca, or ascites, with scanty supply of dark-colored urine, with weak heart action; renal congestion; irritable heart with weak action; heart made to beat rapidly but feebly by slight excitement; continuous labored breathing with weak pulsation; renal and cardiac dropsy; desquamative nephritis, with weak heart; capillary hemorrhage; poisoning by aconite, muscarine, or the nitrites (Felter and Scudder, p. 333)

therapy: increases the force of contraction of the heart; slows down the heart rate; decreases conduction in the atrioventricular bundle (Weiss, p. 130); dilated heart with mitral incompetence; mitral stenosis and regurgitation; dilated right heart with tricuspid incompetence; debility of the cardiac muscle; increases the power of the auricles and the ventricles to empty themselves; controls fibrillation by inhibiting conductivity (Felter and Scudder, p. 340)

AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 3

toxicity: 4; see digitalis toxidrome

» treatment of overdose: EDTA (Ellis, p. 18)

» contraindicated in cases of hyperthyroidism, and with patients taking Glycyrrhiza (Theines and Haley, pp. 128)

» Calcium, Rauwolfia, thiazide diuretics and adrenal steroids potentiate the activity of Digitalis, as does hypokalemia (Theines and Haley, p. 127)

» laboratory test results: hypokalemia; changes in white blood cell counts, eosinophilia

constituents: cardenolides, glycosides, anthraquinones, flavonoids and saponins

footnotes

Ellis, M.D. 1975. Dangerous Plants, Snakes, Arthropods, And Marine Life. Hamilton, IL: Drug Intelligence Publications, Inc.

Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.

Thienes, C.H., Haley, T.J. 1975. Clinical Toxicology. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger.

Weiss, R.F. 1988. Herbal Medicine. Gothenburg, Sweden: Ab Arcanum; Beaconsfield, England: Beaconsfield Publishers, Ltd.