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I would have been talking about Plants that Cure @The_RHS #RHSHampton and #RHSTatton this month. Instead, I'll post a tweet a day about some of the plants that have given us pharmaceutical drugs. Some are well known, but others might be a surprise
#medicinalplants #pharmacognosy
#medicinalplants #pharmacognosy
These tweets are based on Plants that Cure, written with my very knowledgeable co-author, @KewScience phytochemist and pharmacognocist, Dr Melanie-Jayne Howes. Available in dashing violet from @PrincetonUPress and warm peach from Kew Publishing @kewgardens
A traditional use of purple foxglove, Digitalis purpurea, was for 'dropsy' (fluid accumulation), now known to be due to heart failure. The cardiac glycoside, digoxin, sourced from woolly foxglove, Digitalis lanata, is still used as a drug for heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias
Advertising card from 1904, for Véritable Extrait de Viande Liebig. One of a set featuring poisonous plants, this card is for foxglove, Digitale (Digitalis purpurea).
"It is from its poisonous juice that digitalis is extracted, an important drug used in heart conditions."
"It is from its poisonous juice that digitalis is extracted, an important drug used in heart conditions."
If you want to know the effects and mechanism of poisoning by plants containing cardiac glycosides, I highly recommend this episode of the Dose Makes the Poison podcast @ToxCast. https://twitter.com/ToxCast/status/1266120396614631424?s=20
