R K Gupta, Uma Shankar
The steep hillside around Nathatop, Sanasar and Bhaderwah valley are filled with blooms of foxglove representing tall spires of thimble-like flowers rising from rosettes in the month of June.Unfortunately, the local children and women are often seen with bouquet of these flowers for sale around road.Using them as cut flowers can decrease reseeding and eventually decrease the natural propagation of this herb. Henceforth, this practice must be discouraged and there is a pressing need to educate the locals and general public to save this herb for environment and ecosystem health.
Interestingly this herb is not native but introduced in India by Europeans as ornamental long ago. That is why it is known as Tilpushpi, Hridpatri in India. In nature it grows in the colder region up to 1.25 meters height. Leaves are green on upper surface and under white, ovate-lanceolate, arranged alternately, size up to 30 cm long, lamina dentate. They are simple and around 35 cm long. Flowers are yellowish white or violet in color, stalk up to 40 cm long, bearing up to 70 flowers. Fruits are small, contain plenty of seeds. It is commercially cultivated as a drug plant in Austria,England, Germany, Hungary and Japan. In India, it is cultivated in Kashmir, Darjeeling and Nilgiri hills. In Jammu division it is prolific in Patnitop to Sanasar, Bhaderwah and Doda region. These plants grow in poor pastures, scrub and forest margins, stony river beds, roadsides and track sides. It thrives in humus-rich soil in partial shade; it can however grow in almost any soil except that which is very wet or very dry.
Frequently, the local tribe children are often seen plucking its flowers for selling as bouquet around Sanasar which is neither ethical nor safe for their health as the whole foxglove plant is extremely poisonous.Foxglove flowers may be grown from seed, producing blossoms in the second year. If flower heads are not removed, foxglove plants reseed themselves abundantly. Therefore, using them as cut flowers can decrease reseeding and eventually decrease the natural propagation of this herb
Fortunately, it tastes very bitter and causes irritation of the mucous membranes in the mouth, actually causing pain and swelling. It also causes diarrhoea, nausea and vomiting, so if it does get in, it soon comes out. Because of these factors, it is not really a problem for wildlife, human or otherwise. However if you ever find a child who has been around this plant with symptoms of oral irritation, grab a stem or two and get to the emergency room. Owing to these issues this plant need to be conserved for posterity due to following reasons:
Tourism: Flower bloom is soothing and a major attraction for visitors especially during the months of May and mid-June. For instance, the tourist places can be seen as ‘Valley of Flowers’ during this period.
Medicinal uses: Digitalin is a classic example of a drug derived from a plant formerly used by folklorists and herbalists. The plant contains cardio tonic glycosides – gelatin, digitoxin and digoxin, antibiotics like salicylic acid, mannitol and sorbitol. Traditionally it was used to treat vitiated kapha and vatha, bronchitis, asthma, dysmenorrhoea, cardiomyopathy and cardiac debility, severe fever and to enhance better urination, relieve kidney disorders and increase urine flow.Since that time, the drug digitalin has become one of the old, generic drugs doctors consider the first line of defense against heart-related ailments. Digitalin slows the heart but provides a source of medicine used by doctors in heart medicine.
Besides, Digoxin is a cardiac glycoside isolated from the foxglove plant Digitalis purpurea. Digoxin is still used in the management of cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure. Specifically, digoxin is recommended by the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF)/ American Heart Association (AHA) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to decrease hospitalizations for heart failure, as multiple trials have shown its ability to improve symptoms, quality of life and exercise tolerance. However, unlike beta-blockers and renin-angiotensin inhibitors, digoxin has not been shown to reduce mortality. This has likely been a contributing factor in the reduction of digoxin use in the management of heart failure, where it is currently reserved for patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) who remain symptomatic despite the use of disease-modifying therapies.
Eco feast plant for pollinators: Many flowers contain visible dots, stripes and patterns. This plant has a pink bell-shaped corolla pigmented with cyanidin and peonidin 3,5-diglucosides. Higher concentrations of the same pigments inside the bell makes patterns, called nectar guides or honey guides, which helps pollinating insects to the stigma and style.Studies at SKUAST- Jammu have found that this plant is pollination hub for Bumblebees like Bombus haemorrhoidalis, B. albopleuralis, B. trifasciatus, B. tunicatus, B. simillimus and B. eurythorax.
(The authors are from SKUAST, Jammu)
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