Purple Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) seeds

The Purple Foxglove, like its siblings, is a very traditional, yet poisonous plant steeped in legend and a native shrub. With its bell-shaped, violet inflorescences, which supposedly serve as dwellings, gloves or hats for elves in many mythological tales, it is very decorative. It is considered a pioneer plant and likes to spread on cleared forest grounds. Wildly growing, it only rarely appears in Germany anymore and, therefore, is on the list of endangered species.

Not only elves but also the devil is said to have used the plant - as foxglove. It is common to all narratives about the plant that it attributed magic effects.

Historically, it has been used in popular medicine, but it is extremely difficult to dose so that acute poisonings during therapy attempts were not uncommon. Its presumably best-known application is in the form of various Digitalis preparations, which are enormously effective in combatting heart failure and age-related cardiac insufficiency and approved in conventional medicine. The contained cardiac glycosides strengthen the heart muscle and regulate the heart rate.

The plant is very poisonous and should not be planted in gardens where toddlers or animals play!