The Heart of a Smith

Chapter 45:

Digitalis: A class of cardiotonic drugs that have been widely used in the treatment of heart failure for a long time, but their clinical evaluations are mixed.It can be divided into fast-acting preparations (mauroside K, cedilan) and medium-speed-acting preparations (digoxin).

Digoxin: A medium-speed cardiotonic drug, it acts quickly after oral administration, and is excreted quickly after entering the human body. Its accumulation is small and its effect lasts for a short time.It is currently the only digitalis preparation that has been placebo-controlled and evaluated by clinical trials to effectively treat chronic heart failure.

All of the above are excerpted from "Heart Conservation and Heart Disease Prevention" (Golden Shield Publishing House, edited by Zhang Xuean and Guo Zhisong)