Is Foxglove Poisonous? – Digitalis Toxicity to Humans and Pets

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is severely toxic and potentially fatal to dogs, cats, horses, and humans. All parts of the plant contain cardiac glycosides, compounds that disrupt the heart’s electrical system. Foxglove has no safe level of casual ingestion. Deaths from accidental foxglove poisoning are documented in the medical literature.

If you believe a person or animal has eaten any part of a foxglove plant, call emergency services or poison control immediately. Do not wait for symptoms.

Why Foxglove Is So Dangerous

Foxglove is the original source of digitalis, a class of compounds used in controlled therapeutic doses to treat certain heart conditions. Outside of that controlled medical context, the same chemicals become life-threatening. The plant contains digitoxin and related glycosides that slow and destabilize heart rhythm at toxic doses. The effect on the heart is the central danger.

All parts of the plant are toxic: leaves, flowers, seeds, and roots. The toxins are not destroyed by drying. Dead plant material, dried flower arrangements, and garden cuttings remain dangerous long after the plant has died.

Which Parts Are Most Toxic?

The leaves carry the highest concentration of cardiac glycosides and are most often involved in accidental poisoning. Flowers and seeds also carry significant toxin levels. Water that has held cut foxglove stems has caused documented poisoning in at least one recorded case.

Symptoms of Foxglove Poisoning

Dogs and cats: Vomiting, diarrhea, drooling, and lethargy appear first. Cardiac arrhythmias follow, which may include dangerously slow or dangerously fast heart rhythms. Without prompt treatment, cardiac failure can occur. This is a veterinary emergency.

Humans and children: Initial symptoms include nausea, vomiting, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and visual disturbances such as yellow-green tinting of vision or halos around lights. Cardiac effects develop as poisoning progresses: slowed heart rate, irregular heart rhythm, and heart block. Severe cases can involve life-threatening arrhythmias, convulsions, coma, and death. Accidental foxglove ingestion has caused fatalities when the plant was mistaken for edible herbs such as borage or comfrey.

What to Do If Foxglove Is Ingested

This is an emergency. Do not wait for symptoms to appear.

1. Call emergency services (911 in the US) or poison control at 1-800-222-1222 immediately.
2. If the person is unconscious, not breathing, or has collapsed, call 911 first.
3. For pets: call your vet or an emergency animal hospital right away.
4. Do not induce vomiting unless explicitly instructed by a medical professional.
5. Bring a sample of the plant or a photo to the emergency room or vet clinic to help with identification.

Treatment may include cardiac monitoring, activated charcoal, and in confirmed cases of digitalis toxicity, digoxin-specific antibody fragments as an antidote.

Safe Handling in the Garden

• Wear gloves when deadheading, pruning, or handling foxglove.
• Wash hands thoroughly after working near foxglove.
• Keep children and pets out of areas where foxglove grows.
• Dispose of cuttings promptly and securely so pets and children cannot access them.
• Do not add foxglove to compost bins that children or animals can reach.
• If you have young children or dogs that eat plants, avoid growing foxglove in accessible areas of the garden.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can touching foxglove make you sick? Skin contact alone is not typically dangerous, though washing hands after handling the plant is sensible. The serious risk comes from ingesting any part of the plant or getting plant sap near the mouth or eyes.

Is foxglove deadly to dogs? Yes. Foxglove is among the most seriously toxic common garden plants for dogs. Cardiac glycoside poisoning is a medical emergency. Take your dog to an emergency vet immediately if foxglove ingestion is suspected.

How much foxglove is dangerous to a person? There is no established safe amount. Documented poisoning cases have involved ingestion of a small number of leaves. Toxin concentration varies by plant, plant part, and growing conditions. Do not attempt to estimate a safe dose.

Can foxglove be confused with other plants? Yes. Foxglove has been mistaken for borage and comfrey in published poisoning case reports, with fatal outcomes. If you forage or collect wild herbs, learn to identify foxglove clearly before harvesting anything from the field.

My child touched foxglove flowers. What should I do? Skin contact carries low risk. Wash hands with soap and water. Watch closely for any sign that plant material was placed in the mouth. Call poison control if there is any possibility of ingestion, however small.