
                                      FOXGLOVE
                                      ========


                                    CULTIVATION:
     Foxglove is a biennial, occasionally perennial herb, reaching up to 8 feet
     in height. It has attractive purple flowers.

     Foxglove  needs a sunny location, and  prefers rich fertile soil with lots
     of  humus.  Seed in late spring or  early  summer. Transplant some 6 weeks
     later  into  a nursery bed. Don't ever  let them dry out. For medical use,
     the  leaves  are picked from the second  year growth just before the plant
     comes into flower.


                   CULINARY USES: ============== NO CULINARY USES


                                   MEDICAL USES:
     The  foxglove plant is important to medicine as the source of digitoxin, a
     chemical  that reacts directly upon the  muscles of the heart, slowing the
     pulse, raising the blood pressure, and increasing blood circulation.

     What  is  not always realized is that  the  action of digitalis is slow at
     first,  and the effect are cumulative. Foxglove is liable to accumulate in
     the  system and to manifest its presence  all at once by poisonous action.
     Your  pulse  becomes irregular, the blood  pressure  will be drooping, and
     gastro-intestinal irritation sets in.


                                      WARNING:
     Foxglove  or  its constituents are very potent  and must only be used when
     prescribed by a doctor.
     
