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Common Name: Grecian Foxglove

General Information

Digitalis lanata is a Evergreen Biennial/Perennial up to 0.60 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine..

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant are poisonous[, ].

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Europe.

Habitat

Woods and scrub[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Evergreen Biennial/Perennial
Height	0.60 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

An easily grown plant, succeeding in ordinary garden soil, especially if it is rich in organic matter[]. It prefers a neutral to acid soil[] and also succeeds in dry soils and, once established, is drought tolerant[, ]. It prefers semi-shade but succeeds in full sun if the soil is moist[, ].
The Grecian foxglove is cultivated for the medicinally active glycosides that are contained in the leaves[]. This species is preferred over D. purpurea as a source of glycosides for the pharmaceutical industry[].
Plants are either biennial or short-lived perennials[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[].
This species can develop crown rot and root rot when growing in damp conditions[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The Grecian foxglove is a widely used herbal medicine with a recognised stimulatory effect upon the heart. It is also used in allopathic medicine as the main source of the cardiac glycosides that are used 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[]. At the same time it stimulates the flow of urine which lowers the volume of the blood and lessens the load on the heart[]. 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[].
The leaves are cardiac, diuretic, stimulant and tonic[, , , , ]. 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[]. Harvested at other times, there is less of the medically active alkaloid present[]. The seed has also been used in the past[]. 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[]. Great care should be exercised in the use of this plant, the therapeutic dose is very close to the lethal dose[]. Their use should always be supervised by a qualified practitioner since in excess they cause nausea, vomiting, slow pulse, visual disturbance, anorexia and fainting[]. See also the notes above on toxicity.
A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves[]. It is used in the treatment of cardiac disorders[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - surface sow early spring in a cold frame. The seed usually germinates in 2 - 4 weeks at 20°c[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.