Digitalis lanata that is extracted from "Digitalis lanata". It is used to treat some heart conditions such as atrial fibrillation. It slows atrioventricular conduction so that the heartbeat slows down and slightly increases contraction power (positive inotropic effect). Because of the improved circulation in congestive heart failure caused by fast atrial fibrillation, the kidneys can function better, which stimulates the flow of urine, which lowers the volume of the blood and lessens the load on the heart. This is the effect that was first described when the plant was discovered as a medicine (Withering 1785). Digitalin was not discovered until the mid-19th
Orazio Comes Orazio Comes Orazio Comes (11 November 1848 – 13 October 1917) was an Italian botanist. From 1906 to 1917 he directed the Agricultural Higher Institute of Portici, in which, thanks to Vincenzo de Cesati, he begun teaching since 1877 as assistant of Nicola Pedicino for the chair of botany, to whom he succeeded in 1880. In his works he studied the physiology and plant pathology of Neapolitan mushrooms and agricultural plants, such as beans and tobacco. From 1881, Comes began to deal with the cultivation of tobacco to improve industrial production and, starting from 1891, he emphasized the study and