Cardiac glycosides began with foxglove, which was tried in the eighteenth century for people with heart failure. Digitalis is called digitalis in Latin, and the last actual cardiac glycoside is called digoxin.
The point of cardiac glycosides is that they cleverly alter the balance of potassium, sodium and calcium inside and outside the cells of the heart. Due to this, the heart contracts more powerfully than it would like. It is beneficial for people with heart failure.
Glycosides, as they began to drive from herbs, are still continuing. One of the varieties is in our usual lily of the valley. Therefore, until now, people are poisoned to death with lily of the valley.
Glycosides are generally easy to poison. It's practically poison. But cardiologists are still arguing and cannot refuse glycosides.
Cardiac glycosides occupy their own niche.
At first, there were many and different cardiac glycosides. Then they began to notice that they often die from them. There were immediately fewer glycosides. Then there was practically only digoxin left. Then they began to say that the scientific studies according to which people die from glycosides were not entirely correct.
The fact is that these were so-called observational studies. That is, they found people who had already been prescribed glycosides and observed what would happen to them. And these were just very sick people in the outcome of heart failure. It is clear that they died more often.
It would be necessary to somehow plan the experiment. Prescribe to some, and not to prescribe to others a glycoside. But, in my opinion, it is not customary to do this for ethical reasons.
Briefly speaking
Cardiac glycosides do not strengthen the heart muscle. They deceive her due to cunning manipulations with potassium, sodium and calcium. This cardiac witchcraft often results in heart rhythm disturbances that can lead to death. So I really do not recommend brewing lily of the valley.
But in the right situation, glycosides prolong life for many people.
