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The roots, sap, flowers, seeds, pollen, and leaves of foxglove are all poisonous - even when dried. I know because I was poisoned when I accidentally inhaled the dried seeds and pollen.
My Story by Linda Stradley: Day 1: On July 29, 2006, I was cleaning up my flower beds getting ready for an outdoor gathering at our place that evening. I have several volunteer foxglove plants in my yard. The flowers were all dried up, and the plants didn’t look pretty anymore. So, I cut off the long stems where all the seed pods are. One the stems burst or exploded (and I mean exploded) in my face. I inhaled the spores and pollen when this happened. I was amazed as I had never had any thing like this happen before. A couple of hours later, I started breaking out with hives* on my face (see info on hives below). At first I thought some bugs had bitten me. By the end of the day, I had a rash developing over my face and neck. I didn’t know what to make of the rash, as I’m a person who usually doesn’t get pimples. Day 2 to 5: I kept getting more break outs the next couple of days. Remembering the foxglove incident, I looked up foxgloves on the internet and found out they are poisonous. If a child eats the leaves they can die. Also the leaves look similar to comfrey and many adults have mistaken them for comfrey and got violently ill (and even died) from eating them. I learned they can cause a hives and a swollen throat. All the articles said to take antihistamines for hives. For two days I took the non-prescription antihistamine called Clairtin for the hives, and it did stop more from coming. Day 6: As soon as the hives stopped, I then got a sore throat, and then it advanced to the ears. I thought, ok, my body will work it’s way through this. Day 9: My husband, Don, had to take me to the emergency room at 3:00 a.m. in the morning as I started spitting up blood. At the hospital, they did all kinds of tests and discovered it had advanced to pneumonia in my lungs. The doctor was amazed that this had happened to me. It turns out that I definitely have an allergy to foxgloves, and by inhaling the spores, they had poisoned my system. All because of the foxgloves! Day 10: My husband went out in the yard and dug up all the plants he could find. More will probably come up in the spring, but they will also be dug up and destroyed. So if you have any foxgloves in your yard, destroy them - pull up the entire plant.
*
Hives, also called urticaria, are rounded or oval bumps (swellings) on the skin that
often are itchy. Sometimes they are red, but they don't have to be.
Hives happen when the cells in the skin called mast cells release
histamine, a chemical that causes tiny blood vessels (capillaries)
to leak fluid. When this leaking fluid accumulates in the skin, it
forms the small swellings that we recognize as hives.
Foxglove, also called Digitalis purpurea, is a common biennial garden plant that contains digitoxin, digoxin, and other cardiac glycosides. These are chemicals that affect the heart. Digitalis is poisonous; it can be fatal even in small doses. It was the original source of the drug called digitalis. Originally introduced
into this America from Europe as an ornamental garden plant, foxglove may
now be found wild in a few localities in parts of Oregon, Washington, and
West Virginia, having escaped from cultivation and assumed the character of
a weed. It occurs along roads and fence rows, in small cleared places, and
on the borders of timberland. The entire plant is toxic (including the roots, sap, flowers, seeds, and leaves) Although the leaves of the upper stem are particularly potent, with just a nibble being enough to cause death. The upper leaves of the stem are more dangerous than the lower leaves. Foxglove is most toxic just before the seeds ripen. It tastes spicy hot or bitter and smells slightly bad. This plant is so poisonous that ingesting only .5 gram dried or 2 grams of fresh leaf is enough to kill a person. Even inhaling the pollen can cause reactions to some people. There have been instances of people confusing the digitalis with the harmless comfy plant (which is often brewed into a tea) with fatal consequences. Other fatal accidents involve children drinking the water in a vase containing digitalis plants. Drying does not reduce the toxicity of the plant. The plant is toxic to animals including all classes of livestock, as well as cats and dogs. A single foxglove plant can produce over a million seeds, it does sow itself
prolifically in unexpected places. And, being a biennial, it only produces a low cluster of leaves during its first year.
Now, the other part of the story is that my husband had developed a rash on the backs of his hands that was itchy, weepy and getting pretty bad. Turns out he had pulled out clumps of the foxgloves because it was overgrowing some of it other plants several days before. After I started doing some investigating about foxgloves, I found your posting and told him about it. He went to the doctor and was prescribed some ointment that cleared it up pretty well. No more foxgloves for me - except to admire at a distance. And he's been vigilant in keeping the foxgloves at bay in our yard using gloves! Thanks for your post. - Karen from Redmond, WA (3/27/13)
I just got out of the hospital after a week of treatments for exposure to foxglove pollen. I did not touch the plant and did not get hives or itching on my skin. My reaction was swift and severe - I suddenly couldn't breathe. I had disturbed a foxglove plant whose blooms were nearly done. At first the doctors were not convinced that it was actually foxglove that was the cause. This was the first year we had these blooms in one of our gardens, and I was unaware that they were toxic even if you didn't touch them. I have never had allergies to anything before, but I must be extremely sensitive to this plant. It caused spasms and swelling in my bronchial tubes that is just now passing. If the hives and swelling can last for days on your skin, I am wondering what it is doing to my internal system, not to mention the digitalis effects on my heart. We have completely removed the plants and will watch next year for any strays that may appear. Thanks for your articles on this. I have not heard of too many instances of breathing problems from foxglove. - Alene, MN (8/28/12)
I was out mowing the grass in our yard one Friday, when I passed by the dried up Foxgloves that my wife has in the garden. I guess I got too close to one of the plants and bent it with the mower. As I continued forward with the mower, the stalk sprang back and brushed the underside of my left biceps and the dried flowers scratched me. I thought nothing of it and kept mowing. I went into the house when done, had lunch and took a shower. The next night, I began to feel a terrible itch on my left inner biceps. I thought I had been bitten repeatedly by some unseen bug as we had been to an outdoor concert that evening. I noticed that the area was inflamed and bumpy with oozing sores. When I awoke on Sunday morning, a rash was forming on my arms, legs and especially my midsection. I thought I had contracted something at the public pool where my family swims since most of the rash was in my bathing suit area (very unpleasant). However, no one else in the family showed any sign of any skin irritation.
I finally went to see the doctor and was diagnosed with contact
dermatitis. It was then that I remembered the brush with the
Foxglove. Here I am, several days and a partially finished
prescription of steroids and the rash is only starting to subside (the intolerable itching continues). I have never had an allergic
reaction from contact with any plant before in my life. This has
been a miserable experience. I am insisting that my wife rid our
home of these poison plants so that neither I nor my kids ever
experience this misery again.
- Fred of Baltimore, Maryland (7/20/12)
This past weekend I must have pulled up a kitchen size garbage bag worth of Foxglove with my bare hands. It was looking overgrown and had gone to seed, so I thought it was time to clean it up. Today (Tuesday) I noticed that the backs of my hands had bumps. Now, I know I'm highly allergic to Poision Ivy, and I was clearing out our ivy as well that day but, the bumps on the back of my hands aren't BB sized like my previous Poision Ivy episodes. In fact, I would not have even noticed them today if my hands had not been in the sun on the steering wheel.
If Foxglove is truly that reactive, then I would suggest using
disposable gloves when working with it. I am presently self
medicating and will report on the progress.
Thank you - Steve (7/03/12) Whilst I do appreciate the fact that foxgloves should be handled
with great care, I must stress that they are so common in Germany
and Britain, where I live now, and I have never come across any
illnesses or even fatalities caused by these absolutely beautiful
plants. I have young children who are growing up with many dangers
around them in the world, aware of how to handle potential danger.
My borders are traditional, with many, many foxgloves at the back of
my herbaceous borders, providing the most beautiful backdrop to the
lavender blues in front. I annually handle the dried seeds and
encourage further spread of the flower. I agree, however, that it is
absolutely vital to be informed and to inform visitors to the garden
of the potential dangers. Thank you for raising awareness. -
Stephanie Baines,
West Stockwith, UK (6/02/12) I
was just at Colonial Williamsburg (Williamsburg, VA)
and there are a lot of Foxglove. Good thing I didn't
get affected as I was taking pictures of them up
close. I don't understand why those people at
Colonial Williamsburg have a lot of these plants.
Incidentally, I just sent them an email informing
them about how dangerous / poisonous this plant can
be. - Rodolfo Abraham
Quinio (5/21/12)
I have experienced being allergic to foxglove with
similar symptoms. First I wasn't sure which plants
flowers I was allergic to, and I then found that it
was the foxglove I was allergic to. I was doing
gardening and getting rid of the dry plants.
- Jagrati Limbochia (4/15/12) I would like to say that I have grown foxgloves for many years and handled them many times with absolutely no ill-effects. These are a wild variety, not specially bred ones. They are also extremely common absolutely everywhere in the British countryside and are not cutting a swathe through the nation's children. I appreciate that there may be a tiny number of people who have unusual reactions but I would expect them to be documented by cast-iron testing and medical evidence, not half-baked assertions of the "I had an itch and finally realized it must be the foxglove I handled days ago because I heard they were poisonous" variety. There are a lot of credulous and suggestible people around. It is an absurdity to suggest that foxgloves be banned from sale due to a tiny number of uninvestigated probelms against them.
I hope you will add my statement to your web-site in
the interests of balanced reporting. Best wishes
- Heather Morris, UK
(8/29/11)
I found your web page while searching for information on the toxicity of fox glove. I was working in my garden today and upon pulling my fox glove, I was sprayed all over by the seeds of the plant. Fortunately, the seeds did not get into my mouth. Immediately, I washed the exposed skin and blew my nose to rid of any seeds I may have inhaled.
After reading the
comments from your readers about their exposure to
fox glove, I called my doctor who then said to call
the poison center. The poison center said I will be
alright. They said fox glove is highly toxic when it
has been tasted or eaten. If the seeds are breathed
in, then problems may occur. I wanted to share this
with you so that future concerned readers may want
to contact the poison center if they have ingested
the toxic plant. The number to the poison center is
1-800-222-1222.
- Loretta
Ferguson 8/11/11
You could not imagine how thankful I am to read what you shared. I was at Southern States and got attracted to a pot of this plants. I simply held the leaves and touched the flowers. I did not even attempt to sniff the pretty flowers - thank God. Within an hour, I had severe rashes on my neck. The following day I had three huge bumps on my neck. Exactly like the hives you had mentioned. Not knowing what it was and what could have caused it, I seriously thought it was just a mosquito bite. On the third day the three bumps were so huge I dismissed the mosquito bite theory and thought it was a bee bite as there were bees on the coneflowers at Southern States too and tried to avoid that area.
But really, how can a bee get to my neck, bite me three times without me hearing or noticing it crawling or buzzing around? My husband examined the hives on my neck and he didn’t see where the insect stung. It was so itchy and painful for days, the rash got bigger and so did the hives. My neck looked like I had goiter or something. The pain and swelling continued at least a week and I even have difficulty turning my head. Now thank God it’s over.
When I read what was shared in your web page, I am sure it was the foxglove, as it was the only plant I admired and touched that afternoon on my quick visit to the store. I would have not attributed the sores on my neck to that pretty foxglove if I have not been enlightened by all these sharing which I truly appreciate so much. In a way I am pretty upset with the garden shop. Displaying such a dangerous plant without any warning of its harm. One would think Southern States should know better than just to put this thing on display, intentionally luring but exposing every innocent admirer to its danger. Can you imagine if my kids were shopping around with me and touched this thing while I was happily admiring this poisonous plant with them????
I am calling and meeting the store
manager of Southern States, this is for sure. I don’t think it is right for us to
just take this incident (harm done to us) lightly and
let this garden shops operate business irresponsibly by
displaying this plant/flower without any word of caution
to their customers.
- Maria Arceo, Richmond, VA (7/6/11)
Hi, I'm
so glad to be reading this now. I just went and bought 2
foxglove plants from BJ's. I thought they were not only
beautiful looking but they were cheap. I haven't had the
chance to plant them yet but now I'll be throwing them away!
I have 3 boys who are always outside playing and they have
their friends over all the time so I would feel terrible if
any of them got sick from this plant. I can't believe they
sell this in the store with no warning. Here I was looking
up how to plant and care for them, and I saw you're story.
Thank you for the warning it saves me the horror of it
happening to my kids. - E. Nicoletti, New York (6/28/11)
I once used the word
"foxglove" in a poem inspired by a child. I thought it
sounded woodsy and ethereal. I was so happy to come upon
some at a garden center, and I purchased a container of a
small to medium leafy plant. I planted it about a week ago -
handling it by the big leaves. No sign of any danger. I read
your warning, however, just 15 minutes ago and quickly
removed it placing it carefully in a lawn bag. RIP I may be
immune, but I'm taking no chances. Poison ivy likes me and I
once came down with a very bad case of hives on my left hand
- a reactioododendron - and revise that poem! Thanks for the
detailed report. - Alan, Georgia
(4/09/11)
I, too, am a victim to the foxglove plant. We have just recently moved into a new house with an established garden, which had about 4 foxgloves planted outside our family room. Just before Christmas I was tidying up the plants and cut off the dead flower heads of the foxglove plants. Several days later I started itching all over my body, head and even my eyes slightly stung, this got worse over the coming days. I have since spent loads of money on anti-histamines, creams, doctors, and even went to a skin specialist about this allergic reaction (but not knowing what caused it!) This has been on going, about 5 weeks now. I have cleared the garden up again, pulling the dried dead leaves away from the bottom of the foxgloves - making my itch worse of course!
Yesterday I went to find more relief as I am at my wits end with this itchy rash/hives! I went into the local health shop and spoke to the woman in there, who helped me eliminate environmental and dietary changes etc. She asked me were there any foxgloves in my garden as they are highly toxic to some people - well the penny dropped! I immediately came home and looked up on the internet about these plants and came across your site. Hallelujah!!
I have
since dug them out and thrown them away (which was foolish
can I say, as I had a full-on intense reaction almost
seconds later, confirming that this plant was at fault!) I
am now looking at getting well again, regaining my sanity,
my sleep, and my family back again! Thank you to Linda and
many others who have helped. - Jo
Jamieson, New Zealand (1/27/11)
I looked online to find the proper care for our beautiful new foxglove plants. I was so happy that I did! My daughter planted them a couple of weeks ago, and she developed a severe case of hives. She said she felt like she was stung be a bee on her ear lobe as well. THANK YOU SO MUCH for this article. The foxglove will be pulled immediately with long sleeves and gloves! Thanks again! - Nancy, Indianapolis, IN (6/01/2010)
Hi. You can call
me Tim from Charlottesville, VA. I'm only 14, so
it's not as dramatic. But here's my story. Just
last week, I was at my friend's house and he has
MANY plants growing behind his house. Out of all
of them, I saw a foxglove beginning to flower. I
have always wanted to grow foxgloves cause I
love plants (and they look cool). So my friend
said "alright, you can have it". So he got a pot
of dirt and we began to slowly dig out the
foxglove. Then I took it by the stalk and gently
put the flower in the pot. That was when my
right wrist and arm began itching, but we
thought they were just two little bug bites and
so I resisted itching them. We watered the
plant and went inside. By that time, the two
"little bumps" turned into two huge lumps! I
still didn't itch it and my friend just put some
tape over it (to prevent me from itching it).
A few minutes
later, while we were studying, I looked at my
arm and the area around the lumps were reddening
with speckles! That's when my friend's older
brother put some rubbing alcohol on the place
and it stopped bothering me. After that, we
remembered the foxglove and decided to look up
some care info. The first thing that popped up
was "foxgloves are beautiful, but are
poisonous". WHAT!?
I remembered that
I was the only one that touched the leaves and
had my hand near the blooms. Turns out that the
seeds gave me the two hives and the pollen gave
me the rash. Yet the seeds are actually used for
medicines and remedies to cure some weird
things. And this was one where it was just
developing blooms (about 2 or 3 blooms). So in
the end, my friend took the foxglove, cut of
some leaves, and threw it behind his house and
cut down all the other going-to-be foxgloves.
The rubbing alcohol did the trick. Now the lumps
are nothing but two little red dots (barely).
They should stop selling these things in stores.
-
Tim from Charlottesville,
VA (5/25/2010)
About a month ago, I
bought some foxgloves and monks hood. I merrily
planted them and was so happy because next year I
was going to have beautiful flowers. I am not sure
how soon after the planting that my right ankle bone
had a small red mark on it, much like when you bump
it. Then the ankle became redder and the swelling
appeared. I got a lump the size of a nickel on the
outer calf of my right leg about half way between
the ankle and the knee - it was tender. Then I got a
lump on the bone that goes from my wrist to my
elbow on my right arm. My left leg, not to be out
done, followed suit. The little bumps went from the
nickel size to a fist size. My feet were swollen to
3 times the size and so were my ankles. It looked
like I had scalded them with boiling hot water. The
lumps have now gone up to my knees, so my knees are
3 times the size they should be.
I had no idea that
these two plants were so deadly to some people. I
had seen pictures of them and was so happy to get
them. I loved the flowers. Of course I had to handle
them with lots of care, holding the roots in my
hands to make sure the soil did not fall away. I did
not wear gloves and spent a lot of time making sure
they were positioned into the ground properly. I
know I am super sensitive to a lot of things so
possibly this is what is going on. It has been
almost 4 weeks, and I have no idea how much longer
it will be. I have used homeopathy remedies and
bathed in the tub every day using either food grade
hydrogen peroxide 35% or epsom salts. It is slowly
turning around, but at this time it is still
painful. I also had pain in my ears, the joints of
my wrists hurt, and the list goes on.
I phoned a lot of
nurseries and the one I spoke to actually sounded
interested. I suggested they go onto internet and
have a look at what is being posted. I suggested it
could save a law suit, and they were quite
certain that is something they wanted to avoid. Too
bad these two plants are so pretty. -
Edith Ziegler, Ontario Canada (9/15/09)
I visited a nursery and
was going through through and was admiring foxglove
flowers and thinking how I would love to have them. I
remember gently rubbing the leave for the feel of it.
Very shortly, I noticed that I was having trouble
breathing and started coughing. Luckily my sister was
with me and got me out of the area and into the garden
shop, sat me down and got me water. My throat seemed to
close up and I felt like I was going to pass out. They
offered to call ambulance but I just kept sipping water
and it soon went away. I couldn't figure it out but
assumed it might be the foxglove.
I have a garden business and
on Tuesday I was cutting back way too many foxgloves in a
client's garden. I live in Falmouth, Maine and I have a
garden business. She inherited these foxgloves "beauties"
when she bought the house. I have been redesigning her
garden and have been removing the small spin offs for three
years. I had never done such an extensive cut back all at
once so the problem never arose. But this time I filled four
very large bags with foxglove stalks and was carrying them
out of the garden to bag time and time again and stupidly
with a sleeveless shirt the stalks kept resting on my left
upper arm.
The Benadryl has helped me
too, and I was given a prescription cortisone cream to apply
twice a day. Since it has been raining for days, I am trying
to recover so that I can work next week. The itching
continues but seems less severe and the redness has only
spread a bit more today. So far no other area seems to itch
so I think it is concentrate on my upper left arm.
I am forever grateful for your
informative covering your foxglove experience. I do not
believe most of the public is aware of this deadly plant,
but I am going to be sure that none of my clients grow this
dangerous plant. I printed out your page and will take it to
the doctor's office so they become more aware of this
problem.
Linda,
How strange that I came upon your article today. I normally
have very clear skin with no irritations ever. Well, Sunday
afternoon I began to notice these very small bumps on my
face that almost looked like poison oak, except they weren't
itching quite like poison oak because I have had an
experience with that. Anyway, I continued to accumulate
these on my face and arm. By yesterday afternoon, I was
starting to wonder what in the world was going on with my
skin. I traced to see if I had eaten, taken, or ingested
anything out of my normal routine but I couldn't come up
with anything new.
I have
asked my husband to don gloves and go and clear the garden
of these plants, which is a shame because they are so
beautiful. Having read the reports listed, I am surprised by
what I have read and shall not make the same mistake again.
But as I have two young children, I fear for their health. -
Debbie Jones,
Herne Bay, Kent, England
(3/26/08)
I am very sorry to hear
about your experience with the foxglove plant. I have
had some serious concerns about the appearance this
plant is making in gardens (unfortunately even right
next to the sidewalk!) and have been wondering if the
plant has been bred to be less toxic for gardens. I grew
up in Germany and the foxglove plant is quite common in
the forests there. I remember when I was growing up, the
elementary school teachers heavily stressed that this
plant is very poisonous and not to be touched. Schools
there mainly use the field trip days for taking walks
through the woods and learn more about nature.
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I am studying
ikebana, Japanese flower arranging. I had a mental container that is
pretty unique and I was looking for flowers in my yard to create a
nice flower arrangement. Well, there was a large stand of foxgloves
(I didn't know what it was then), so picked several stems and
arranged it along with peonies and hostas.
I emailed the photo to a friend who is a master gardener and asked
if he could identify them and he told me what they were foxgloves.
He said he pulled them out all the time barehanded and didn't have a problem.