Digitalis glycoside poisoning

C (decomp.), [aln +38° (CH3OH). A cardiac glycoside (see Digitalis glycosides and strophanthins) from Calotropisprocera (Asclepiadaceae), used in Africa as an arrow poison. 

Many of the plants known to contain cardiac or cardiotonic glycosides have long been used as arrow poisons (e.g. Strophanthus) or as heart drugs (e.g. Digitalis). They are used to strengthen a weakened heart and allow it to function more efficiently, though the dosage must be controlled very... 

From Strophanthus gratus a crystalline glycoside, ouabain, has been obtained. It was so named because it was first isolated from the root and bark of the Ouabaio tree, which is the source of an arrow poison used by the Somalis of East Africa. Because of its well-defined physical characteristics and crystalline structure, ouabain, C29H44012, served for a time as a standard in the U.S. for the assay of the digitalis group of drugs. 

Saponins are extremely poisonous, as they cause heamolysis of blood and are known to cause cattle poisoning. Some saponins are important from therapeutic point of view, as in Digitalis pupurea, the presence of saponins is necessary for activity of cardiac glycosides. Recent studies have shown that saponins have hypolipdemic and anticancer activity. 

FOXGLOVE Digitalis purpurea, L., Family Scrophulariaceae, is a decorative garden plant. The leaves are poisonous due to its content of cardiac glycosides 2-3 g dried or... 

The cardiac glycosides are a group of plant materials arbitrarily so named because of their specific digitalis-like effect on the heart muscle. Their physiological activity is primarily dependent on the nature of the aglycon rather than on the carbohydrate component. For their discovery, we are indebted to studies of medicinal and poisonous plants, especially of... 

The digitalis-like glycosides are the basic therapy for congestive failure. The toad poisons (bufagins, bufotalins, or bufotoxins) and the Eryth-rophleum alkaloids show promise as potentially useful drugs for this form of heart disease. 

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