Cardiotoxic Plants

 Cardiotoxic Plants

Common cardiotoxic plants include the following: aconite, azalea, death camas, false hellebore, foxglove, lily of the valley, meadow saffron, mountain laurel, common oleander, yellow oleander, rhododendron, suicide tree, and yew.

Several of the cardiotoxic plants contain various cardiac glycosides which act in similar fashion. Some of these glyco-sides are useful in pharmacotherapeutics (e.g. digitalis derived from foxglove). Table 25.1 lists common plants which contain cardiac glycosides. Some cardiotoxic plants do not contain glycosides (e.g. aconite).

Foxglove (digitalis) has been dealt with in detail under cardiac glycosides.

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