Common Foxglove

Digitalis purpurea

Common foxglove thrives in woodlands, meadows, clearings, and gardens throughout Europe and North America. It is a biennial plant that can grow several feet tall with spikes of purple, pink, or white bell-shaped flowers. The flowers are attractive to bees, which crawl far inside to access the nectar. Its height and colors are among the most impressive summer wildflowers.

Foxglove is also a medicine and a poison. It has a series of compounds called cardiac glycosides, including digitoxin and digoxin [1][2]. These can change the rate and power of the heart’s electrical rhythm. In the late 1700s, doctors learned how to extract and purify these compounds, creating the drug digitalis. This revolutionized medicine for heart conditions and remains one of the cornerstones of modern cardiology [3].

The entire plant is toxic if ingested raw or misused. Smaller doses can also cause nausea, irregular heartbeat, and even death [4]. This makes foxglove unfit for herbal use, and it is no longer used this way. However, it still has value as a teaching example and its lasting scientific legacy.

Foxglove is a symbol of both warning and teaching. It highlights how a plant’s potential is only revealed by knowledge and technique: a blend of danger, medicine, and beauty.

[1] ScienceDirect Topics. “Digitalis purpurea (Common Foxglove).” “Digitalis purpurea contains cardiac glycosides such as digitoxin and gitoxin that affect cardiac contractility.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/digitalis-purpurea

[2] SpringerLink. “Digitalis Glycosides.” In Encyclopedia of Molecular Pharmacology. Springer. “The medical use of cardiac glycosides began in 1785 with Withering’s monograph on the leaves of the common foxglove plant. … Various glycosides including digitoxin and digoxin were then extracted.” https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-319-17900-1_185

[3] Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Digitalis (drug).” “Digitalis, drug obtained from the dried leaves of the common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea), containing cardiac glycosides that increase the force of heart contraction and slow heart rate.” https://www.britannica.com/science/digitalis

[4] SciTechnol Journals. “A Detailed Note on Pharmacological and Clinical Significance of Digitalis purpurea.” “Digitalis purpurea has a long medical history due to its potent cardiac glycosides … Despite its beneficial effects on the heart, the plant is poisonous if misused.” https://www.scitechnol.com/peer-review/a-detailed-note-on-pharmacological-and-clinical-significance-of-digitalis-purpurea-i-DHb.php?article_id=26019