Digitalis: medicinal properties and contraindications, description, chemical composition. Drugs of digitalis in the pharmacy - instructions for use

Flowers digitalis are not only unusually beautiful, but also have medicinal properties. But treatment with digitalis should be careful, because in large doses it is the strongest poison.

Such a medicinal plant as digitalis has found its application in various fields. For the aesthetic appearance of the flower is used as a decorative element, and in medicine it is the magic tool .However, improper use of this plant can do great harm.

Description Digitalis, varieties, legends

Digitalis is a medicinal plant that is enveloped in doubts, myths and legends. It is a herbaceous plant with flowers that resemble fingers in shape, hence the names - digitalis( thimble) .Flowers foxglove are of different colors: from bright yellow to brown.

There are a lot of types of digitalis that have different applications in medicine

There are several varieties of this plant - digitalis foxes, foxglove, foxglove, foxglove, etc. It is related to family and has a strong influence on the human cardiovascular system.

Actively used since ancient times by for the treatment of heart diseases, can cause poisoning or even death with improperly selected doses.

Digitalis is used not only for medical purposes, some of its varieties are used as an ornamental plant with beautiful large bells-bells , and in the natural environment the bells of the foxglove are home to insects or small rodents, a butterfly food.

In the people of digitalis attributed to the magical properties of

There are many legends and beliefs about these plants. In some cultures digitalis called "Witch's thimbles" and believe that this plant is able to protect from ills, give good luck and health. But if you use a digitalis with malice with the help of this plant, you can suppress the will of a person and send him trouble. In fairy tales, it is believed that the flowers of foxglove are nothing but hats of good fairy elves.

The chemical composition of digitalis

The leaves and flowers of the digitalis contain the so-called glycosides - substances that affect cardiac activity. And the amount and composition of these substances depends on the type of digitalis:

• In Digitalis purpurea or Digitalis contains more than 62 glycosides, among them acetyl-digoxin, digoxin and githoxin. Also in the digitalis purple contains choline, flavonoids and other curative substances. These chemicals strengthen the heart's work of in heart failure and other heart, vessel, kidney, eye diseases. In therapeutic doses, they are indispensable drugs, but you should also know that these substances in the body are capable of accumulating and causing poisoning of

. The glycosides in the digitalis are used to treat the heart

In large doses, glycosides act as a strong poison, lead to a strong poisoning of the body or even death. Therefore, in no case should you take your digitalis preparations yourself. Assigns and controls the reception of glycosides exclusively doctor

• Digitalis rough contains a large number of steroid and cardiotonic glycosides, lantozides, Celanide. Substances of this kind of digitalis are quickly excreted from the body and accumulate less, so they are more often used. They better fight congestive heart failure, quickly remove excess fluid from the body
• Digitalis rusty contains more than 31 glycosides, verodoxin, steroids, flavonoids. It is used for the treatment of heart diseases, as well as for the treatment of epilepsy

Digitalis, the therapeutic properties of

The great domestic doctor and scientist Botkin spoke about digitalis: "This is a scalpel of therapists" and was completely right. This plant has the strongest healing properties of the , but at the same time, it can do harm if misused.

In medicine, digitalis is widely used, but it is necessary to use it with great care

Digitalis and preparations that produce it, have a wide spectrum of action of on the human body. They are used for:

1. Heart Disease

• Heart failure - when the heart can not provide full blood supply to the whole body, digitalis preparations strengthen the blood outflow in the heart, thereby helping to fight heart failure
• Arrhythmias and pulse acceleration - affecting heart rate regulation centers,restore it, as well as slow the pulse
• Heart defects ( congenital and acquired)

Medicines based on digitalis can cure many illcardiovascular system

1. Vascular diseases:

• Hypertension - reduce pressure

1. Diseases of the eye

• Pain in the eyes of with migraine is well removed with digitalis preparations
• Increased intraocular pressure , for example, with glaucoma

1. Kidney disorders

• With chronic renalinsufficiency
• With edemas - help to remove excess fluid from the body

1. With lung diseases - reduce dyspnea and increase the body's saturationContraindications oxygens

receiving digitalis preparations for receiving digitalis exist plurality contraindications. Before starting to take medicine from digitalis, be sure to consult a doctor.

Taking digitalis and its preparations without doctor's recommendation is extremely dangerous for life

It is not recommended to use preparations containing digitalis extracts if you:

• Coronary artery atherosclerosis
• Myocardial infarction
• Complete atrioventricular blockade of
• Reduction in heart rate( bradycardia)
• Rheumatic carditis or endocarditis
• Heart defects in compensation stage
• Chronic lung diseases
• Tuberculosis
• Angina
• Infectious diseases
• BeYemen
• lactation period
• digitalis drugs are not recommended for children under 12 years

digitalis poisonous or not?

As mentioned above, digitalis preparations have many healing properties of , but if taken without control and incorrectly, it is possible to get poisoning, the so-called "digital intoxication" .

In large doses, digitalis is a poison that can lead to the fatal outcome of

The fact is that the cardiac glycosides contained in the digitalis have the property of accumulating in the body( cumulative effect).When they accumulate in excessive amounts, they begin to act as .Here are the symptoms of digital intoxication:

• Intense abdominal pain and diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Rash on skin
• Heart failure, sensation heart failure
• Rare and weak pulse
• Shortness of breath, respiratory failure
• Muscle twitching and convulsions
• Hallucinations
• Loss of appetite
• Critical manifestation - arrest of respiration and heart

History has known cases when the tincture of digitalis in large doses used as the poison .Therefore, using drugs based on digitalis, be sure to follow all the recommendations of your doctor.

Tincture of digitalis woolly

preparations of woolly fistula contain the same active substances as other types - cardiac glycosides. They have the stimulating effect of on the cardiovascular system.

Tincture foxglove tincture can be prepared at home or bought at the pharmacy

. From the digitalis purple foxglove tincture distinguishes more rapid absorption in the body , quicker effect and less ability to accumulate. Therefore, these drugs are preferred.

The tincture of digitalis woolly is prepared from the calculation of 1 g of dry leaves per 200 ml of water. It is best to buy the ready tincture in the pharmacy at the doctor's prescription.

Video: Digitalis woolly

Digitalis preparations in the drugstore

Numerous industrial preparations are made from the leaves of digitalis in various forms of release - tablets, injectable solutions, tinctures, capsules, etc. The main preparations of digitalis purpurea are digitoxin, githoxin, cordygit.

• Digitoxin - tablets. Applied with heart failure, hypertension, valvular heart disease, arrhythmias. Has a pronounced cumulation effect and poorly dissolves
• Gitoxin - has the same curative effect as digitoxin, but it dissolves much better in the body and is less able to accumulate. Produced in the form of a white powder
• Cordygite is a combined preparation containing digitoxin and hytoxin. Produced in the form of tablets and rectal suppositories. Very soluble in water, cumulation effect very low

Digoxin - one of the medicines based on digitalis

The basic medicinal forms of digitalis woolly:

• Digoxin - is available in the form of tablets, solutions for intravenous injection and solution for oral administration. Assign for heart valve defects, arrhythmias, before surgery for patients with chronic heart disease. If necessary, this drug can be administered to children. The effect comes faster, the ability to accumulate is very low.
• Celanide - is available in tablets and injectable solutions. Indications for use are the same as for other digitalis preparations, but this drug has the widest spectrum of action and less toxic effect. The ability to accumulate is very little expressed
• Lantoside - is available in 15 ml dropper bottles. This drug consists of several components of digitalis, has a pronounced anti-edematous effect. The ability to accumulate is poorly expressed

Video: Digoxin. Instructions for use

Fingerglove tincture - instruction manual

It should again be recalled that it is only necessary to take digitalis according to the prescription of the doctor and under his strict control, clearly following all recommendations. The exact doses, time and frequency of administration are calculated only by the doctor.

In 200 ml of tincture of digitalis contains from 0.5 to 1 g of dry leaves of the plant .Usually adults take 20 ml 3-4 times a day.

The tincture of digitalis is very easy to prepare - it requires only plant flowers and alcohol

The duration of the course of admission is also determined strictly by the doctor. On no account does abolish or renew course on its own.

Use of digitalis in cardiac disorders

For heart diseases, is used with digital preparations of digitalis. Taking your own cooked infusions is dangerous. The maximum amount of the drug per day should not exceed 0.5 g. The route of administration of the drug is also chosen by the doctor( tablets, intravenous injections) in each case individually.

For heart diseases, the use of ready-made medicines from digitalis

is recommended. The use of digitalis with edema

. As the substances contained in the digitalis strengthen urine output they are used in the treatment of edema of cardiac origin. With the help of digitalis preparations edema is treated in a complex of treatment of heart failure.

Due to the increased amount of excreted urine, excess fluid is removed from the body and the load on the heart is relieved.

The use of digitalis in hypertension

For hypertension use the infusion of digitalis. For 200 g of boiled warm water take 1 g of dried leaves of digitalis. Insist 20-30 minutes. Take 1 tbsp.spoon 3-4 times a day. To take tincture of digitalis in hypertension is necessary only with the permission of the attending physician.

In case of hypertension, it is also possible to take medicines from digitalis

Use of digitalis for wound healing

To heal wounds apply lotions from the tincture of digitalis. Apply gauze soaked in solution to the affected area and leave for 10-15 minutes.

Use of digitalis with nervous disorders

In diseases of the nervous system, alcoholic tincture of digitalis is used:

• 15-20 g of dry leaves foxglove is poured into 50 ml of alcohol
• then placed in a container of dark glass and allowed to infuse for 7-10 days
• apply no more than 10drops of infusion over time

Recent studies have shown that digitalis preparations can use in the treatment of epilepsy , hysteria and other mental disorders. Also, the infusion of digitalis is effective in migraine attacks with pain in the eyes.

As you can see, digitalis is indeed a magic remedy for many ailments, but it should be used intelligently .Otherwise, you will inflict serious harm on your body, up to the of the lethal outcome of .

Video: Digitalis