Foxgloves – very pretty but best not to touch
The common or purple foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, goes by many other names, including American foxglove (although it used to be found growing wild, not just in North America but also Europe), dead men’s bells and fairy gloves. It’s very poisonous, containing a drug which is used in treating heart disease, although it is the woolly foxglove (or Grecian foxglove), Digitalis lanata which is the source of the Digoxin used in medicine.
It’s been known for people to get rashes, headaches and nausea just from touching it with the bare hands, and it is not suitable for use in herbal medicine by anyone without a practitioners’ certificate. If you have children, it’s wise to remove any foxgloves you may have in your garden, at least until the children reach double figures and can understand the danger when it is explained to them.
More information about the common foxglove and the woolly foxglove can be found in the Gardenzone.
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