The Digitalis state is defined by a deep-seated melancholy, despair, and a sense of impending doom, often linked to heart complaints. The patient fears death, especially during palpitations, and may feel that the heart will stop unless they keep moving—a paradox since movement worsens their condition [Kent]. There is anxiety focused on the heart, with slow comprehension, apathy, and great fearfulness. Emotional shocks cause physical collapse. Mental dullness may alternate with oversensitivity. Obsessive brooding over one’s health, guilt, or impending misfortune is common, often coexisting with hypochondriasis and forgetfulness. Depression with physical weakness is a key keynote.
Sleep
Sleep disturbed by palpitations, anxiety, or dyspnoea. Cannot lie down due to heart suffocation. Dreams anxious, fearful. Unrefreshing sleep. Daytime sleepiness with lethargy. Wakefulness before dawn.
Dreams
Frightening dreams of death, falling, or heart failure. Dreams of being chased, suffocated. Anxiety of being alone or deserted. May dream of flooding or failing organs. Dreams often reflect cardiac fears.
Generalities
Marked physical prostration, especially from slight exertion. Sudden sinking spells. Pulse slow and weak. Heart and liver are central organs of disturbance. Coldness and cyanosis. Symptoms worse from motion, worse lying left side, better by lying still. Dropsical states common. Trembling, faintness, and anxiety dominate. Emptiness and weakness throughout body.
Fever
Febrile states rare but may occur in hepatitis or endocarditis. Low-grade fever with chills. Chill begins in extremities. Fever with bradycardia. Profuse sweat after mild fever. Cold sweat from fear or heart pain.
Chill Heat Sweat
Chilliness with internal heat. Extremities cold despite room temperature. Sweat clammy, cold, and exhausting. Sweat on forehead and hands during collapse. Alternation of flushes and chills.
Head
Vertigo on moving, especially on sitting up or turning in bed, often accompanied by nausea, dim vision, and cardiac distress. The head feels heavy and full, particularly in the forehead. Throbbing headaches from congestion, made worse by lying down. Confusion and dizziness from heart failure or liver complaints. Sensation as if the brain would come out through the forehead. Cold sweat on forehead during faint spells. Neuralgic pains in temples or occiput, with cold hands and slow pulse.
Eyes
Visual symptoms are dramatic and hallmark. Bluish or greenish-yellow halo around objects, with flickering or dim vision [Clarke]. Objects may appear too large or too small (macropsia or micropsia), with blurred outlines or double vision. Sudden blindness or loss of focus from cardiac insufficiency. Eyelids twitch or feel heavy. Pupils dilated and sluggish. Retinal haemorrhage and degeneration documented in toxicology. Sensitivity to light, especially during gastric or hepatic attacks.
Ears
Buzzing, roaring, or pulsation in ears synchronous with the heartbeat. Sudden deafness with vertigo. Ears feel stuffed or plugged. Tinnitus before fainting. Hearing diminished during jaundice or exhaustion.
Nose
Coldness of tip of nose, sometimes bluish in heart failure. Nosebleeds in elderly or weak patients. Nasal mucosa pale. Sensation of fullness or obstruction from sluggish circulation. Sneezing brings on faintness or palpitations.
Face
Pale, sunken, bluish lips, or deathly facial hue—indicative of collapsing circulation [Boericke]. Expression is anxious, pinched, with sunken eyes. Cold sweat on face. Flushes of red alternating with pallor. Cyanosis in cheeks and perioral area. Puffiness of eyelids or face in heart failure.
Mouth
Tongue coated white or yellow; may tremble on protrusion. Bitter taste in mouth. Salivation excessive. Dryness with sticky mucus. Tongue swollen in hepatic conditions. Breath may be offensive in jaundice. Speech slow, trembling during weakness.
Teeth
Gnashing of teeth in convulsions (rare). Toothache from congestive states or neuralgia, better with cold applications. Gums swollen, bleed easily. Tooth pain linked to liver or heart disturbances.
Throat
Dryness or constriction in throat. Sore throat with hoarseness. Tickling or spasmodic sensation provoking cough. Difficulty swallowing liquids. Throat symptoms often secondary to gastric or hepatic complaints.
Chest
Tightness of chest with anxiety. Pain shooting through heart to back or down left arm. Oppression of chest with laboured breathing. Stitching pain on inspiration. Mucus rattling in aged or weak patients. Cardiac asthma. Sighing respiration. Wheezing on exertion. Hydrothorax in decompensated heart failure.
Heart
Profoundly affected. Pulse slow, weak, intermittent, or irregular [Kent]. Heart feels too slow, as if it would stop. Palpitations from the least motion or emotion. Cyanosis from cardiac stagnation. Sensation as if heart stopped then started with a thump. Cardiac insufficiency with dropsy, syncope, cold limbs. Sudden bradycardia during collapse. Heart murmurs with dyspnoea. Mitral and tricuspid lesions especially covered.
Respiration
Breathing slow, sighing, or laboured. Dyspnoea with faintness. Respiratory failure during cardiac decompensation. Must sit up to breathe. Orthopnoea in sleep. Breath cold, shallow. Rattling cough in weak patients.
Stomach
Constant nausea, not relieved by vomiting—a major keynote [Hering]. Vomiting of food, bile, or mucus; comes in waves. Nausea worsened by motion, smells, or visual stimuli. Pressure in epigastrium with anxiety. Heart symptoms often provoke gastric distress. Craving for bitter or sour things, but aversion to meat. Empty, sinking feeling in stomach; sensation as if it would drop. Regurgitation with faintness. Hiccough common.
Abdomen
Liver enlarged, tender, with dull aching pain. Jaundice with yellow eyes, clay-coloured stool, and dark urine. Cutting, colicky pains in right hypochondrium. Abdomen distended with flatulence. Portal congestion leads to sluggish digestion. Fullness, heaviness, especially after meals. Intestinal inertia with constipation alternating with sudden diarrhoea. Hepatic symptoms aggravate cardiac complaints.
Rectum
Constipation with no desire and great inactivity of rectum. Hard, dark stools. Straining may provoke faintness or cold sweat. Diarrhoea, sudden and profuse, alternating with constipation. Rectal haemorrhoids with oozing, bleeding, and pain during defecation. Stool greenish, offensive during hepatic flare.
Urinary
Scanty, dark, albuminous urine. Painful urging with dribbling. Suppression of urine in heart or liver failure. Burning during urination. Sensation of incomplete voiding. Urine thick, dark, and slow to pass. Dropsy from renal congestion. Albuminuria or blood in urine during acute phases.
Food
Craving for bitter things. Aversion to meat and milk. Nausea from odours or sight of food. Vomiting after cold drinks. Eating even a little worsens symptoms. Indigestion after fruit or fat. Slowness of digestion is marked.
Male
Prostate enlarged, tender. Suppressed or diminished sexual desire. Genital atony. Emissions rare and exhausting. Testicular pain in suppressed miasms or chronic heart cases. Penile flaccidity. Fear or guilt around sexuality.
Female
Menses irregular, often suppressed. Faintness and palpitations during menses. Leucorrhoea thick, yellow, and acrid. Breasts flabby or painful. Palpitations or collapse during pregnancy. Weakness and fainting after coition. Prolapse from weakness of pelvic tissue.
Back
Pain in dorsal region, worse with breathing. Weakness in lumbar spine. Coldness in sacral area. Stitching in scapulae. Pain radiating from heart to spine. Must lie back for relief.
Extremities
Trembling, weakness, especially in hands. Cold, blue hands and feet. Dropsical swelling of legs and ankles. Numbness or tingling in fingers. Cramping in calves. Fingers cyanotic. Nails blue or brittle. Cannot rise from chair without support.
Skin
Pale, cold, bluish. Icy coldness of limbs, particularly in heart failure. Jaundiced, yellow tinge in hepatic conditions. Dropsical swelling, especially of lower extremities. Cold clammy sweat. Itching worse at night. Petechiae or haemorrhagic eruptions in advanced cases.
Digitalis purpurea, or Foxglove, is a toxic biennial plant from the Plantaginaceae family. It contains powerful cardiac glycosides—primarily digitoxin and digoxin—which profoundly influence the heart muscle, conduction system, and renal function. In toxicology, it slows and strengthens cardiac contractions, lowers pulse, and can cause arrhythmias, vomiting, and visual disturbances. In homeopathy, Digitalis acts especially on the heart, liver, and gastrointestinal system, with far-reaching implications in weakness, fainting, and circulatory collapse.
Widely used in conventional medicine (in controlled doses) as a cardiac tonic for congestive heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and arrhythmias. Digitalis derivatives are still employed pharmaceutically today, especially in elderly patients.
First proven by Hahnemann, later extended through toxicological data and extensive clinical confirmations from Hartlaub, Nenning, and Hughes. Many symptoms derived from both homeopathic proving and poisonous overdoses.
Heart and circulatory system – primary affinity; acts on myocardium and conduction
Lycopus virginicus – For slow, irregular heart in thyroid cases
Cactus grandiflorus – Constriction of heart like an iron band; more violent heart symptoms
Crataegus – Heart weakness, more general and less violent, used in elderly
Kalmia – Radiating cardiac pain; more rheumatic in nature
Naja – Slow pulse, heart fear, more valvular lesions
Aconite – Sudden collapse, but more acute and feverish
Lycopus virginicus – For slow, irregular heart in thyroid cases
Cactus grandiflorus – Constriction of heart like an iron band; more violent heart symptoms
Crataegus – Heart weakness, more general and less violent, used in elderly
Kalmia – Radiating cardiac pain; more rheumatic in nature
Naja – Slow pulse, heart fear, more valvular lesions
Aconite – Sudden collapse, but more acute and feverish
Digitalis purpurea represents the fragile life force strained by circulatory weakness. Its essence lies in the fear of death that arises from the failing heart, the struggle to maintain equilibrium in the face of energetic collapse. It is the remedy of slow failing, of one who grows pale, weak, and distant with every heartbeat. It speaks to guilt, fear, and the quiet terror of one’s own mortality, often found in elderly patients, the broken-hearted, and those suffering from loss or abandonment. The emotional life is inextricably tied to cardiac rhythm: the less hope one has, the slower the beat becomes.
Invaluable for bradycardia, especially if irregular and linked to weakness
Key remedy in heart failure with cyanosis, faintness, and cold extremities
Effective in cardiac dropsy, especially with scanty urine
Use in jaundice from hepatic congestion
Mind symptoms always reflect cardiac status—treat the heart to restore the soul
Heart
Palpitation, lying on left side, agg.
Pulse, slow, irregular, weak
Fear heart will stop unless in motion
Mind
Fear of death
Despair, hopelessness
Anxiety about the heart
Gastrointestinal
Nausea, persistent, not relieved by vomiting
Vomiting after eating
Liver, pain, enlargement
Skin
Cold, clammy
Cyanosis
Dropsy
Urinary
Suppression of urine
Albuminuria
Burning urination
C. Hering – Guiding Symptoms: Heart, liver, and gastric systems extensively described
J.T. Kent – Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica: Mental symptoms, cardiac pathology, and modalities
William Boericke – Pocket Manual: Digest of key organ affinities and clinical use
John Henry Clarke – Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica: Rich repertorial guidance on eyes, urinary and generalities
Allen’s Encyclopaedia: Comprehensive toxicological and clinical details confirming remedy action
Disclaimer: The content on this page is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always seek guidance from a qualified healthcare professional before starting any treatment.
Sign In
Register
Reset Password
Manage Consent
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
