The Temperate Database is in the process of being updated, with new records being added and old ones being checked and brought up to date where necessary. This record has not yet been checked and updated.

Common Name: Foxglove

General Information

Digitalis purpurea is a Biennial up to 1.20 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of materials..

Known Hazards

All parts of the plant are highly poisonous[, , , , , ].
Although it is a very effective medicinal plant, foxglove needs to be used with great caution due to the presence of several potentially toxic compounds, including digitalin, digitoxin, digitonin and digitalein. In excess it can cause cardiovascular, neurological and digestive problems, hallucinations, photosensitivity and exophthalmia[].

Botanical References

,

Range

Western Europe, including Britain, from Norway to Spain and Sardinia.

Habitat

Acid soils in woods, heaths, mountain grasslands etc[, ].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Habit	Biennial
Height	1.20 m
Pollinators	Bees
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Easily grown in ordinary garden soil, especially if it is rich in organic matter[]. Prefers a light dry soil in semi-shade[] but succeeds in full sun if the soil is moist[]. Grows well in acid soils[].
Plants are hardy to about -25°c[].
The foxglove is a very ornamental plant that is easily naturalized in the semi-shade of a woodland[]. It contains glycosides and forms the basis of an important heart medicine for which it is cultivated commercially[]. This species is commonly used by herbalists, whereas D. lanata is more commonly grown for supplying the pharmaceutical industry[]. The plant contains much greater concentrations of the medically active ingredients when it is grown in a sunny position[].
The flowers are very attractive to bees[, ]. Individual plants can produce up to 2 million seeds[].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[].
A good companion plant, it stimulates the growth of nearby plants, growing well with pine trees[, , ].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

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[]. 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[, , , , ]. In addition to their effect upon the heart, 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[].
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[].
Great care should be exercised in the use of this plant, the therapeutic dose is very close to the lethal dose[]. See also the notes above on toxicity.

The seed has also been used medicinally in the past[].

A homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves[]. It is used in the treatment of cardiac disorders[].

Other Uses

An infusion of the plant prolongs the life of cut flowers[]. Root crops growing near this plant store better[].
An apple-green dye is obtained from the flowers[].

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.
If you have sufficient seed it can be sown outdoors in situ in the spring or autumn.