Digitalis - Digitalis Purpurea

Digitalis toxicity

There Digitalis purpurea (popularly called digital) is the title of the chapter on digitalis drugs, characterized by a specific class of active molecules: saponins and cardioactive glycosides.

The refined and elegant appearance of the flowers of Digitalis purpurea should not be misleading: due to the very particular molecular composition, the use of Digitalis purpurea, in phytotherapy, it is forbidden because it is toxic.

In fact, although effective in certain circumstances, therapy based on digitalis extracts can only be prescribed by doctors: the patient who undergoes treatment with cardioactive glycosides must be constantly monitored, and his state of health carefully monitored.
From what has been said, a clear message emerges: the Digitalis purpurea it is a highly toxic plant, and its indiscriminate use can create very dangerous side effects.
In the past, the Digitalis purpurea was defined "opium of the heart”, To highlight its extremely harmful effect - when excessive - on the heart: in this regard, its use was temporarily banned in all areas. After having undergone a moment of "oblivion", the Digitalis purpurea soon returned to be exploited in the medical field.

Type: Digitalis

There Digitalis purpurea yes, it is the main exponent of its genus, but not the only specimen: the other species cannot be forgotten - Digitalis lanata - which, in addition to being extremely active, turns out to be more toxic. Also worthy of attention Digitalis nervosa, with pharmacological potential almost twice as high as the species purpurea. However, the cardioactive principles are also present in other less known species, such as Digitalis grandiflora, Digitalis ferruginea, Digitalis micrantha: the latter are not used as a medicine because the active ingredients are highly toxic and thermolabile.
But let us now focus on the predominant species. There Digitalis purpurea it is divided, in turn, into three other subspecies: Digitalis purpurea subsp. Purpurea, Digitalis purpurea subsp. Heywoodii, Digitalis purpurea subsp. Mariana.

Name analysis

The genus name (Digitalis) comes from "digitas" Latin term literally translated into "finger" and subsequently adapted to "thimble", a clear allusion to the corolla of the plant's flowers. The etymology of the most widespread species (Digitalis purpurea) refers to the purple dress worn by the flowers. The species woolen it is called this in memory of its particular "woolly" appearance. [adapted from Pharmacognosy. Botany, chemistry and pharmacology of medicinal plants, by F. Capasso, R. De Pasquale, G. Grandolini, N. Mascolo]

Botanical description

There Digitalis purpurea, the "precious flower that in the past has cured many hearts”, Is a biennial and rustic plant belonging to the same family as the snapdragon (Scrophulariaceae). The root of Digitalis purpurea it appears large and particularly branched. The leaves are spirally arranged, oblong oval, hairy, with a small winged petiole in the first year of life; the following year, the leaves undergo a sort of transformation due to the formation of a new stem. The "new leaves" are scattered, lanceolate, sessile (upper leaves) or petiolate (lower ones). [taken from Reasoned dictionary of herbal medicine and phytotherapy, by A. Bruni, M. Nicoletti]
The stem of the Digitalis purpurea, hairy, varying in height from one to two meters, blooms in the second year, giving rise to tubular, bell-shaped and pendulous flowers, organized in clusters colored externally purple and internally white. The fruit is a small sharp capsule or sepicidal capsule which contains within it tiny seeds.
There Digitalis purpurea it grows in particular in wooded, wild or arid areas of one hundred Europe; the plant loves loose soils, with a slightly acidic pH, preferably enriched with organic material.

Drugs and active ingredients

The very first studies on the use of Digitalis purpurea for medical purposes they began around 1820, by Dr. W. Withering: in those years it was observed that the drug gave positive results in the treatment of cardiac dysfunction. The drug is represented by the leaves, both fresh and dried, of Digitalis purpurea. Fresh leaves contain primary glycosides, degraded during drying due to enzymatic processes: from this reaction other molecules originate, such as gitoxin, digitoxin, gitaloxigenin and gitaloxin, cardioactive glycosides generally called cardenolides. The phytocomplex extracted from the leaves of Digitalis purpurea it is also characterized by saponin glycosides (eg digitonoside, gitonoside (seeds), tigonoside, etc.), and by digitanol-heterosides (diginoside, digifolein, etc.). Among the active ingredients, flavonoids (e.g. luteolin), caffeic acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid and traces of p-coumaric acid, molecules that complete the phytocomplex of Digitalis purpurea. [chemical composition taken from Dictionary of Phytotherapy and Medicinal Plants, by E. Campanini]

Other articles on "Digitale - Digitalis Purpurea"

1. Digitalis Purpurea - therapeutic uses and toxicity
2. Digitalis Purpurea in short, a summary of the digitalis

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