Digitalis
(Digitalis purpurea · Foxglove)
The remedy of the slow, faltering pulse. In the materia medica, Digitalis is associated with great weakness and faintness, a slow or uneven pulse, a fear that the heart will stop on moving, and nausea that vomiting does not relieve.
Source
The leaves of the purple foxglove, a tall woodland and garden flower
Kingdom
Plant
Abbreviation
Dig.
Home acute kit
Usually prescribed by a homeopath
The classic picture
(a remedy is chosen when the whole picture fits the person, not from a single symptom)
Profound weakness and faintness, as if sinking, from the slightest exertion
A slow, weak or uneven pulse, with a sense that the heart might stop if one moves
Persistent nausea not relieved by vomiting, with a sinking, empty feeling in the stomach
Despondent and anxious about the future; pale, ash-colored stools and a bluish tinge to lips and eyelids
Tends to feel better
Empty stomach
Open air
Tends to feel worse
Sitting upright
Motion
After meals
Music
How it compares
(remedies that are often confused with Digitalis)
-
Gelsemium
(Gelsemium sempervirens)
Gelsemium fears the heart will stop unless they keep moving; Digitalis fears it will stop if they move.
Read more -
Spigelia
(Spigelia anthelmia)
Spigelia's picture centers on sharp, stitching pains and violent palpitation; Digitalis on slowness, weakness and faintness.
Read more -
Stannum metallicum
(Stannum metallicum)
Both have great weakness of the chest and cannot bear to talk; Stannum lacks Digitalis's slow, faltering pulse.
Read more
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From the classic texts
“Despondency; fearful; anxious about the future. Dullness of sense. Every shock strikes in epigastrium. Melancholia, dull lethargic with slow pulse.”
“Faintness or sinking at the stomach; exhaustion; extreme prostration; feels as if he were dying.”
Looking for more than a quick remedy?
Acute remedies can be a starting point for short-term complaints. Ongoing or recurring issues call for a full case: a detailed conversation about your physical, mental and emotional symptoms, so the remedy fits you as a whole person.
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