Digitalis Purpurea appears in 12 of the 13 classic books on Similia. Each was written to do a different job — here is what each adds on this remedy, with the opening of its entry.
- Allen HC — The keynotes that separate this remedy from its nearest neighbours.
“Foxglove. (Scrophulariaceae) Sudden flushes of heat, followed by great nervous weakness and irregular intermitting pulse, occurring at the climacteric; < by least motion. Weak heart without valvular complications. Sensation as if heart would stop beating if she moved (Cocaine - fears that unless constantly on the…”
- Allen TF — The raw proving record — symptoms as the provers reported them, unedited.
“Digitalis purpurea, L. Natural order , Scrophulariaceæ. Common names , Foxglove; (G.) Fingerhut. Preparation , Tincture prepared from the leaves of the second year of the plant. Authorities.”
- Boericke — The quick clinical read — keynotes, modalities and the conditions it is actually prescribed in.
“Foxglove (DIGITALIS) Comes into play in all diseases where the heart is primarily involved, where the pulse is weak, irregular, intermittent , abnormally slow , and dropsy of external and internal parts. Weakness and dilatation of the myocardium . Its greatest indication is in failure of compensation and especially…”
- Boger (GA) — Which general headings this remedy belongs under — the analytical scaffolding.
“BLOWS, shocks, thrusts, crash, explosions, etc. (Comp. Shattered): BLUISH, PURPLE, LIVID, ETC. COATED FEELING DISCHARGES, vicarious EMPTY, hollow, sinking, internal weakness, sense of, etc. EXERTION, Agg. FAINT, faints easily, etc. FEARSOME, anxious, etc. FORCED, thru a narrow opening, as if GELATINOUS (Comp…”
- Boger (Syn) — Generals and modalities in a short analytical portrait rather than a symptom list.
“Vagus. HEART; muscle. CIRCULATION: Liver. Lungs. Stomach. Occiput. Genito-urinary organs. Raising up. Exertion. Heat. Lying on L. side. Motion. Smell of food. Cold drinks. Excesses: Sexual. Rest. Cool air. Lying flat on back. WEAKNESS, faint - like; can hardly talk. Heart slow, with indefinite or causeless symptoms…”
- Clarke — The widest entry — sources, provings, clinical uses, relationships and antidotes in one place.
“purpurea. Fox-glove. N. O. Scrophulariaceæ. Tincture from the leaves of the second year of the plant. Amaurosis / Angina pectoris / Asthma / Bright's disease / Cyanosis / Delirium tremens / Dropsy / Fever / Gonorrhœa / Headache / Heart, affections of / Hydrocele / Hydrocephalus / Impotence / Jaundice / Lungs…”
- Hering — Graded symptoms, each weighted by how often provers and practice confirmed it.
“Foxglove. Scrophulariaceæ. Digitalis is cultivated in gardens, and in found wild throughout Europe, where it prefers siliceous soil, generally avoiding limestone districts. This fact was mentioned by Wm. Lewis, as early as 1768, in his Materia Medica, where he remarks : "It is observable of this plant that it grows…”
- Kent — The mental and general picture — who the patient is, before what the remedy cures.
“History: This drug as used by the Old School has done more mischief than any one drug in their Materia Medica. Every patient who had a fast heart, or anything the matter with the heart, was given Digitalis. It has caused more deaths than any drug. If administered when the heart is going fast it will soon produce a…”
- Lippe (MM) — The strict Hahnemannian reading — the symptom picture without clinical interpretation.
“Great anxiety and inclination to shed tears; apprehension about the future. Gloomy and peevish. Indisposed to speak; inclination to lassitude. Giddiness, with trembling. Dulness of the head, with limited power of thinking. Stitches in the temples (evening and night). Stitches in the forehead, extending into the nose…”
- Lippe (Red) — Keynotes with the most-trusted ones marked as red-line symptoms.
“Common name: fox-glove. Pulse: Full, irregular; very slow and weak; intermiting every third, fifth or seventh beat (A.). Stinging pain in the muscles of the upper and lower extremities (Apis, Bry., Dulc., Guai., Kali-C., Kali-S., Rhus-T., Valer.). The fingers "go to sleep" frequently and easily (A.). Constant desire…”
- Nash — The comparisons — the remedy set beside the ones it is most often confused with.
“Extremely slow, intermittent pulse; weak heart; or rapid, very irregular pulse. Respiration; irregular, difficult, slow, deep or performed by frequent deep sighs; sometimes stops on dropping off into sleep. Excessive jaundice, with slow, weak heart, and ashy-white stools. Faintness or sinking at the stomach; feels as…”
