Preparation
highKing's gives a tincture of digitalis made from powdered digitalis and diluted alcohol, a high-risk medicinal preparation rather than casual herb use.
Found in the Hermetikon archive
Foxglove
Digitalis purpurea
Foxglove appears in Hermetikon as an archive-backed plant entry, with references across historical medical, magical, symbolic, and ritual contexts where the source texts support them.
- Risk
- high
- Books
- 10
- Contexts
- 4
- Mentions
- 66
Archive Profile
Identity, safety, and search aliases used to connect this herb to the archive.
Herb identity
- Common name
- foxglove
- Latin name
- Digitalis purpurea(candidate)
- Identity note
- Do not frame as a casual herb.
Safety
high
Contains cardiac glycosides and is associated with poisoning.
Historical archive citations are not medical advice. Use modern clinical and poison-control sources for ingestion, dosage, pregnancy, and toxicity questions.
- MedlinePlus: Contains cardiac glycosides and is associated with poisoning.
Aliases
foxglovedigitalisDigitalis purpurea
Foxglove in Historical Sources
Curated archive synthesis of recurring uses, recipes, rituals, and interpretive problems.
Hermetikon's curated reading of Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) is built from 3 source-linked archive notes and 2 preparation or ritual-use entries. The strongest recurring contexts are preparations, folk magic, and safety. Each note below links back to the archive source used for the claim.
Folk magic
highBrewer explains foxglove folk etymology through fairy language, giving Welsh and Irish names that read the flowers as gloves or bells of the fairies.
Safety
highSikes identifies fox-glove bells with the digitalis plant and notes that its leaves are a strong sedative, making safety a central part of the archive context.
Preparations and ritual uses
Digitalis tincture
highKing's tincture of digitalis moistens powdered digitalis with diluted alcohol, macerates it, and percolates to volume; this is high-risk historical pharmacy.
Fairy sprig
mediumJacobs's tale has Lusmore wearing a sprig of foxglove, called fairy cap or lusmore, in his straw hat as part of the fairy-story setting.
More Celtic Fairy Tales | Joseph Jacobs (collector/editor) | 1894
The Legend of Knockgrafton.
Foxglove Archive Contexts
Compact source patterns from the extracted citation set.
Astrology
2 passages across 2 books; strongest source: Culpeper's Complete Herbal.
Matched as foxglove; high confidence.
Folk magic
3 passages across 3 books; strongest source: Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable.
Matched as foxglove; high confidence.
Preparation
6 passages across 2 books; strongest source: King's American Dispensatory.
Matched as digitalis; high confidence.
Safety
1 passage across 1 book; strongest source: King's American Dispensatory.
Matched as digitalis; high confidence.
Foxglove Cited Excerpts
Representative public passages with the herb mention highlighted and linked to archive source material.
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper
1653
"...ns | Dog’s Grass | | Dropwort | Dove’s Foot | Bloody Dock | | THOMAS KELLY, LONDON. | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Foxglove | Flower-de-luce | Figwort | | Fleawort | Fumitory | Fluellin | | Fennel | Flaxweed | Feverfew | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Wall Hawkweed. | Hart’s Tongue. | Mouse-ear Hawkweed. | | Gentian. | Golden Rod. | Galingal. | | Clove Gilliflower. | Groundsel. | Germander. | | THOMAS KELLY, LONDON. | | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Longrooted Hawkweed | Hearts Ease | Hounds Tongue | | Herb Robert | Marsh Pennywort | White Horehound | | Henb..."
Chapter 5Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: foxglovehigh confidence
King's American Dispensatory
Harvey Wickes Felter
1854
"...s greater arterial contraction, and proves diuretic. Its diuretic effects, however, are leiss pronoiinced than those of digitalis, which it most resembles. Cardiac paralysis is the result of toxic doses. A child was poisoned by milk from a cow which had eaten g'orse. The remedy may be used in rfro/(.«iV» nf cnrdiac orit/in (Kobert). Pose, of ulexiiic. ;V to xV grain; of the nitrate, ^ to -,'2 grain, hyi"«lirniatic:dly. SCROPHULARIA.— CARPENTER'S SQUARE. The leaves, tops, and roots of Scrophularia nodosa, Linne, var. marilandica,iir;\y (Scronhnlarin nodosa, var. A..."
Page 851Open in Reader
Safetyalias: digitalishigh confidence
The Discoverie of Witchcraft
Reginald Scot
1584
"...riant of " Lungwort". P. 268. "Baccar." "Nardum rusticum", or, according to Sprengel, "Valeriana Celtica", L. ; others "foxglove", or "asarabacca". "Browze". Gives us the meaning of Bowze^boughs, it being so spelt to accord, as was the custom, not only in rhyme but in spelling. "Vervain." "Verbena officinalis", L. (and other verbenas ?), used, according to Park, "against poison, venom of beasts, and bewitched drinks". " Palma." Willows in England were used as the palm on Palm Sunday ; sometimes the yew; but here I incline to think he means Palma Christi, a flat-..."
Page 674Open in Reader
Astrologyalias: foxglovehigh confidence
The Family Herbal
John Hill
1755
"...root of a plant of this kind. It is strengthening and restorative, good in consumptions and all decays. ### FOX-GLOVE. *Digitalis.* A VERY beautiful wild plant, in our pastures, and about wood sides. The leaves are whitish, and the flowers large and red. It is three feet high. The leaves are large, long, rough on the surface, pointed at the ends, and serrated round the edges. The stalks are round, thick, firm; and upright, and of a white colour. The flowers hang down from the stalk in a kind of spike: they are hollow, red, large, and a little spotted with white; ..."
Page 196Open in Reader
Archive mentionalias: digitalismedium confidence
Liber 777
Aleister Crowley
1909
"...4** | | Nux Vomica, Nettle . | Tobacco . . . . . | The Sword, Spear, Scourge, or Chain | **5** | | Stramonium, Alcohol, Digitalis, Coffee | Olibanum . . . . . | The Lamen or Rosy Cross . . . | **6** | | Damiana . . . . | Benzoin, Rose, Red Sandal . | The Lamp and Girdle . . . . | **7** | | Anhalonium Lewinii . | Storax . . . . . . | The Names and Versicles and Apron | **8** | | Orchid Root . . . | Jasmine, Jinseng, all Odoriferous Roots | The Perfumes and Sandals . . . | **9** | | Corn . . . . . . | Dittany of Crete . . . | The Magical Circle and Triangle . | **1..."
Page 107Open in Reader
Archive mentionalias: digitalismedium confidence
Books Mentioning Foxglove
Complete public source inventory, placed after the interpretive reading so the page opens with the most useful synthesis first.
King's American Dispensatory
Harvey Wickes Felter | 1854
digitalisfoxglove
52 mentionscited
Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable
E. Cobham Brewer | 1870
foxglove
3 mentions
The Discoverie of Witchcraft
Reginald Scot | 1584
foxglove
2 mentionscited
More Celtic Fairy Tales
Joseph Jacobs (collector/editor) | 1894
foxglove
2 mentions
British Goblins
Wirt Sikes | 1880
digitalis
2 mentions
Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Nicholas Culpeper | 1653
foxglove
1 mentioncited
The Family Herbal
John Hill | 1755
digitalis
1 mentioncited
Liber 777
Aleister Crowley | 1909
digitalis
1 mentioncited
Witchcraft and Superstitious Record
John Maxwell Wood | 1911
foxglove
1 mention
The Equinox Vol. 1 No. 10
Aleister Crowley | 1913
digitalis
1 mention