The molecules of a highly toxic plant, known for its bell-shaped purple and pink flowers and found in some home gardens, have long been used to regulate human heart muscles.
But harvesting and purifying the leaves of the foxglove to create the cardiac medication Digoxin has proven to be inefficient, Northeastern University researchers say, because it requires the constant cultivation of new plants. One kilogram of digoxin takes approximately 1,000 kilograms of dried foxglove leaves to produce, for example.
The drug can also be highly toxic if not prescribed in a “narrowly defined therapeutic window,” making its safety and efficacy a point of contention.
But that could soon change.
Read more at Northeastern Global News
Photo by Renee Zhang
