2023-05-14 18:45:38
You have certainly seen or heard about this magical species. A dedaleira (Digitalis purpurea) is fascinating plant that combines beauty and danger. Its colorful flowers, which look like thimbles, adorn the gardens and attract many hummingbirds.
However, they also hide a secret: the so-called digitalis, a substance that can be used as a medicine or as a poison. Digitalis is extracted from foxglove leaves and flowers and has an effect on the heart.
In small doses and under medical advice, it can help treat heart problems such as heart failure, arrhythmia, seizures, tremors and headaches, as well as asthma, angina, high blood pressure and other conditions.
However, in high doses, it can cause nausea, vomiting, hallucinations and even death. Therefore, foxglove must always be handled with great care and must only be used under medical guidance.
What is the origin of foxglove?
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Foxglove is native to Europe and adapts well to mild climates. It likes full sun or partial shade and prefers fertile, well-drained soil. The plant is biennial, that is, it lives for only two years.
In the first year, it produces rosette-shaped leaves. In the second year, it produces an erect stem with bell-shaped or foxglove flowers. After the flowers wither, the plant dies.
But it can also reproduce by seeds, which are very small and germinate easily. Foxglove is a plant capable of healing or killing, of enchanting or frightening, it is a work of nature that defies science and art.
various nicknames
In addition to Digitalis, its scientific name, foxglove is known by several other names. Among the main ones are: trocules, teijeira, nenas, gloves-of-santa-maria, grass-thimble, caupeiro, honeybee, digitalis, cathedral-bell and notary’s glove.
Although it is more common to find the species in purple, it also exists in pink, white and shades of lilac, and it is always possible to observe that there are stronger pigments inside.
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