The Effect Of Digitalis On The Heart- An Update

Digitalis is a genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials, shrubsand biennials commonly called foxgloves. The term digitalis is also used for drug preparations that contain cardiac glycosides, particularly the one called Digoxin, extracted from various plants of this genus. Cardiac glycosides cause arteriolar and venous constriction in a variety of mammalian species including human beings, and that this vasoconstriction involves the coronary vascular bed as well. A variety of investigations on cardiac muscle in vitro and in vivo have shown that cardiac glycosides improve the contractility of failing mammalian myocardium. It has been shown that digitalis stimulates the contractility of the non-failing heart also. Digitalis contains substances that stimulate heart muscle. The drug has been used for over two centuries to treat heart failure, a condition caused by inability of the injured heart to pump blood adequately. Other drugs that are used for heart failure include diuretics, angiotensinconverting enzyme inhibitors, and beta-blockers. The review of clinical trials have found that digitalis can help to relieve symptoms of heart failure and thus helps to reducehospitalization.