Digitalis herb, digitalis, whose healing properties were noticed by Chinese healers several centuries before scientific medicine proved their effectiveness, belongs to the Podorozhnikov family. This charming plant, which is popularly called "forest bells", "thimbles", "wineglass", "wolf digitalis" or "bells" (in the shape of its flowers), botanists were given the name "Digitalis" (Digitalys).
This herb is poisonous, but is a very valuable medicinal raw material. Medications made on its basis help in the complex treatment of cardiovascular diseases.
What a miraculous decorative grass looks like: description
A herbaceous perennial or biennial plant of the Psyllium digitalis family, whose medicinal properties are due to the presence of many glycosides in its leaves, in the wild prefers soil with high acidity and is found along the banks of streams, rivers, in rocky foothills and roadside ditches. To decorate the garden, breeders brought low varieties of digitalis with a long flowering period, they draw up borders or use them to border paths.
"Mountain buttercup", "digital grass" (as this flower is called in the North Caucasus), or "tightener", "creeping flower" (in the Urals), unites 25 species (together with garden varieties), the main of which are: red digitalis ( purple, purple), which can be purple, pink, white and even yellow; another species is large-flowered digitalis, the third is rusty (or “Shishkin's digitalis”), the fourth is woolly. Outwardly, they differ, but the chemical composition and medicinal properties of the varieties of the same plant are approximately the same. The stem of any of these plants is hard and tall, its length can be from one and a half to two meters. Healing (but very poisonous) leaves have a lanceolate shape, the next arrangement, gradually turn into leaves with spike-shaped inflorescences, consisting of beautiful bluebells-flowers of various colors. The contrasting speck on the lower lip of each flower sets off, giving a special charm to each of the delicate thimbles.
The flowering period of this unpretentious plant begins in mid-summer and ends in autumn. The ripened numerous seeds in boxes retain their germination for three years.
The chemical composition of thimble grass
Herbalists recommend for therapeutic purposes to collect flowers and leaves "bells" in the summer (the second year after planting). At this stage of the growing season, the number of cardiac glycosides in the leaves of the plant reaches a maximum. Digitalis is famous for these useful substances. The healing properties of glycosides are expressed in their tonic effect on the work of the heart muscle, this helps to eliminate arrhythmia. The content of these unique substances that have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart depends on the type of plant.
Cardenolides (cardiac glycosides) are also found in the flowers and stems of a plant, but stems are usually not used for plant materials. In the digitalis seeds and leaves, scientists have revealed the content of steroid saponins: digitonin, tigonin, gitonin, acetyldigitoxin and sarsapogenin. Digilanides, lanatosides E, C, B, D, A, purpureaglycosides A, B, flavonoids, choline, caffeic acid and other organic acids, aglycones, sugars and mineral salts were also found.
Healing properties
Back in the eighteenth century, official medicine recognized the high biological effectiveness of such a plant as digitalis. The healing properties of this unique herb made it possible to successfully deal with many cardiovascular ailments. From the middle of the 19th century, preparations based on thimble grass began to be produced by the Russian, and then the Soviet, pharmaceutical industry. They have analgesic, cardiotonic, hemostatic, hypertensive, laxative, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and sedative effects. The unique composition of the plant allows its use in the complex treatment of almost all cardiovascular diseases, including severe forms of circulatory disorders, as well as chronic forms of heart failure.
Shortness of breath, swelling, arrhythmia (increased heart rate) - symptoms that help relieve drugs that contain digitalis. With a cardiac disorder and to regulate the functioning of the heart muscle, doctors often prescribe digitalis-based drugs in combination therapy. In case of CNS disorders, during hysteria attacks or for wound healing, powder from dried and crushed leaves of this medicinal plant is used.
Digitalis application
"Thimble grass" and preparations based on it are used to improve vascular resistance, strengthen walls, to normalize general hemodynamics, supply tissues and muscles with blood, including cardiac. They help from cardiosclerosis and mitral defects, from heart failure and hypertension, from atrial fibrillation and myocardial dystrophy, from various types of tachycardia. Specialists note that digitalis drug stimulates cardiac output and helps to reduce the level of excitability of the cardiac system, increase the concentration of calcium in plasma and lengthen diastole. This action helps to normalize the blood circulation in the myocardium and stimulate blood flow in the vessels. In addition, saponins and digitonin facilitate the absorption of other glycosides, which the patient takes as prescribed by the doctor in parallel.
Dosage Forms
Red, purple and large-flowered digitalis grass, the medicinal properties of which have an instant effect on the body, allows you to quickly remove negative symptoms while taking medications in emergency situations. These include: “Digitoxin”, “Gitoxin” and “Cordigit” in tablets, “Gitalen” in solution and green powder from the dried leaves of the plant. In terms of chemical composition and effect on the human body, rusty digitalis is almost identical to its purple “girlfriend”. The solutions that are produced today by the pharmaceutical industry based on this plant are called Digalen-Neo and Sukkudifer. A woolly digitalis, the effect of which on the heart and blood vessels has a smaller cumulative (cumulative) effect, is safer for the body even with prolonged use. Taking drugs based on it in medical (recommended) doses rarely leads to toxic side effects.
Digoxin tablets are the most common medicine for heart ailments abroad. The raw materials for its manufacture are rusty digitalis leaves. In addition to this drug, today in the pharmacy you can also find "Celanide" (powder), tablets - "Abitsin" and "Acetyldigitoxin", solutions - "Dilaniside" and "Lantozide" (alcohol).
Traditional medicine: digitalis recipes
Since ancient times, people planted in their garden an unpretentious, but very beautiful plant - digitalis, which is known in our country as digitalis. Photo of spectacular flowers in the form of thimbles with a variety of bright shades often encourages gardeners to plant a plant to decorate lawns, an alpine hill or a border. Upon learning of its miraculous medicinal properties, many housewives try to make a healing potion from leaves and flowers. But the independent preparation of decoctions, tinctures and other drugs, as well as taking cardiac glycosides based on a toxic plant, threatens not only their accumulation in the body, but also can lead to poisoning and even death (especially in children). Therefore, intravenous administration of glycosides (during seizures) is carried out in a medical institution, and tablets for the treatment of chronic forms of heart ailments are most often taken under the supervision of a doctor in a hospital.
Digitalis: medicinal properties and contraindications
There are diseases and conditions in which the digitalis grass can be contraindicated: acute heart attack and compensated heart defects, complete atrioventricular block and some other manifestations of severe bradyarrhythmia, endocarditis and active rheumatic heart disease, as well as aortic valve stenosis. You can not take drugs based on this plant for people suffering from chronic diseases of the respiratory system, myocarditis, angina pectoris, pericarditis, gastric tachycardia.
It is forbidden to use any means with this medicinal herb for pregnant and young children. The cumulative effect characteristic of digitalis, which allows the accumulation of cardiac glycosides in tissues, can play a negative role, causing poisoning and even cardiac arrest.
Precautionary measures
A digitalis digitalis plant , the use of which is associated with a whole set of serious side effects, requires special attention during administration. If symptoms of poisoning have appeared - nausea, diarrhea, palpitations, headache, dizziness, suffocation, blue lips, trembling and severe pain in the body, it is urgent to call an ambulance, immediately cleanse the intestines, stomach, take activated charcoal or another sorbent. In severe cases, convulsions, hallucinations and acute mental disorder may occur. Only 2.25 grams of digitalis are considered the lethal dose for humans. Upon admission to the hospital, patients poisoned by digitalis (or with an overdose of the drug based on it) are prescribed Atropine, caffeine, potassium chloride and Unitiol. Any use of drugs based on this decorative and very effective plant must be coordinated with your doctor!