Foxglove, (Digitalis Purpurea) is so named bercause it was once believed that evil fairies gave foxes the flowers to slip on their feet to sneak into chicken coops to capture chickens for supper--hence, the English name Foxglove. From the binomial where do you suppose the medical term digitalis may come from?
It was Dr. William Withering of Birmingham, England, in 1780, who discovered Foxglove's beneficial medical properties in the treatment of patients with dropsy.
Also common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) has toxic glycosides that are quite similar to the digitalins used to treat heart disease. The genus was named for Aesculpaius who was the Greek god of medicine. All species of the genus Digitalis contain cardiac glycosides in their roots, stems, their leaves and blossoms. Taken orally the heart rate will slow down and the drink will regulate the rhythm of the heartbeat. Heart muscles will also be strengthened with this.
Foxgloves look appropriate and lovely in English gardens. Plant them in front of your house to protect you and your family from evil influence, people were once taught. Don't bring them inside or the fairies will be angered. It is best not to mess with fairies.
The spots inside the flowers show where fairies have touched them. The writer suspects that this may be where the idea of fingerprinting originated.
It was Dr. William Withering of Birmingham, England, in 1780, who discovered Foxglove's beneficial medical properties in the treatment of patients with dropsy.
Also common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) has toxic glycosides that are quite similar to the digitalins used to treat heart disease. The genus was named for Aesculpaius who was the Greek god of medicine. All species of the genus Digitalis contain cardiac glycosides in their roots, stems, their leaves and blossoms. Taken orally the heart rate will slow down and the drink will regulate the rhythm of the heartbeat. Heart muscles will also be strengthened with this.
Foxgloves look appropriate and lovely in English gardens. Plant them in front of your house to protect you and your family from evil influence, people were once taught. Don't bring them inside or the fairies will be angered. It is best not to mess with fairies.
The spots inside the flowers show where fairies have touched them. The writer suspects that this may be where the idea of fingerprinting originated.