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Foxglove: toxicity, first aid and care
Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea): severe for cats, severe for dogs, severe for small children. The toxic principle, the signs, what to do, and how to grow it.
Cats: SevereDogs: SevereChildren: SevereEmergency risk
Also sold as: Common foxglove, sõrmkübar, sormustinkukka.
This is a reference table, not a diagnosis and not veterinary or medical advice. It cannot tell you how much of a plant matters for a particular child or a particular animal — that depends on body weight, on the part eaten and on how long ago. If a person or an animal has eaten part of a plant, phone the poison information centre or a clinician; do not wait for symptoms, and do not make anyone vomit unless you are told to.
What is in it
Toxic principle: Cardiac glycosides (digitoxin, digoxin) — Cardiac glycosides.
This is the plant the heart drug came from, and the leaf does not come with a dosing chart. The glycosides make the heart contract harder and beat more slowly; above a narrow threshold they make it beat chaotically. Leaves, flowers, seeds and roots all carry them, and dried leaves in hay remain active.
What it looks like when it goes wrong
Nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, then a slow, irregular or racing pulse, weakness, confusion, and in people the classic disturbed vision with yellow-green haloes. Collapse follows a serious arrhythmia.
What to do
Treat any real ingestion as an emergency, because rhythm disturbance can arrive late. Poison centre or ambulance for a person, veterinary clinic for an animal, and mention foxglove by name — it changes what the clinicians look for on the monitor and what they can measure in the blood.
| Country | Poison information centre | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estonia | Mürgistusteabekeskus (Health Board) | 16662 | Round the clock; 112 for an emergency |
| Finland | Myrkytystietokeskus (HUS) | 0800 147 111 | Free, round the clock |
| Latvia | Saindēšanās un zāļu informācijas centrs | 67042473 | Round the clock |
| Sweden | Giftinformationscentralen | 010-456 67 00 | Non-urgent advice; 112 in an emergency |
| Norway | Giftinformasjonen | 22 59 13 00 | Round the clock |
| Denmark | Giftlinjen (Bispebjerg Hospital) | 82 12 12 12 | Round the clock |
Anywhere in the European Union, 112 reaches emergency services and can put you through. Lithuania's poison information bureau (Apsinuodijimų kontrolės ir informacijos biuras) publishes its own round-the-clock line; if you do not have it to hand, use 112. For an animal, your own veterinary clinic or its out-of-hours service is the first call — human poison centres do not advise on animals in every country.
How to grow it
| Condition | What it wants |
|---|---|
| Light | Happiest in dappled shade and a woodland edge |
| Water | Moist but drained; dislikes summer drought |
| Temperature | Fully hardy; a short-lived biennial here |
A biennial that makes a rosette one year and a flower spike the next, then dies and seeds itself around generously — so once you have foxgloves you tend to keep having them, in slightly different places each year. Cut the main spike after flowering and side spikes follow. Wear gloves when clearing it.
What it gets confused with
The first-year rosette is the trap: soft grey-green leaves with no flower, easily confused with comfrey, and comfrey is a plant people deliberately pick. Established practice is simple — do not harvest any leaf from a rosette you cannot identify with the flower present. Self-seeded plants also turn up in vegetable beds, which is where the confusion becomes expensive.
A plant that is not on the toxic lists
If you are deciding what to keep in a home with a cat, a dog or a small child, this one fills a similar role and is not flagged by the veterinary services.
Others that work the same way
Cardiac glycosides — these behave alike, and what you would do about them is alike too.
Lily of the valley
Cardiac glycosides (convallatoxin)
Oleander
Cardiac glycosides (oleandrin)
Kalanchoe
Bufadienolides (cardiac glycosides)
Source: Royal Horticultural Society — potentially harmful garden plants · checked 2026-09-06
Care guidance is standard horticultural practice for a cool-temperate northern climate. Poison-centre numbers are listed on the hub page and are worth confirming against your own country's health service.
Frequently asked questions
Is foxglove toxic to cats?
The veterinary lists rate it "severe" for cats and "severe" for dogs. The toxic principle is cardiac glycosides (digitoxin, digoxin). This is the plant the heart drug came from, and the leaf does not come with a dosing chart. The glycosides make the heart contract harder and beat more slowly; above a narrow threshold they make it beat chaotically.
What should I do if my dog eats foxglove?
Treat any real ingestion as an emergency, because rhythm disturbance can arrive late. Poison centre or ambulance for a person, veterinary clinic for an animal, and mention foxglove by name — it changes what the clinicians look for on the monitor and what they can measure in the blood.
Is foxglove dangerous for a small child?
The verdict for a child who chews or swallows part of it is "severe". Nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, then a slow, irregular or racing pulse, weakness, confusion, and in people the classic disturbed vision with yellow-green haloes.
How do you care for foxglove?
Light: Happiest in dappled shade and a woodland edge. Water: Moist but drained; dislikes summer drought. Temperature: Fully hardy; a short-lived biennial here. A biennial that makes a rosette one year and a flower spike the next, then dies and seeds itself around generously — so once you have foxgloves you tend to keep having them, in slightly different places each year.
What is foxglove confused with?
The first-year rosette is the trap: soft grey-green leaves with no flower, easily confused with comfrey, and comfrey is a plant people deliberately pick. Established practice is simple — do not harvest any leaf from a rosette you cannot identify with the flower present.
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