I used to love using the flowers as thimbles. There is nothing wrong with the foxglove as a garden plant. An extract of the digitalis can be used as a heart medicine; too much is definitely toxic; but provided you don't eat the plant there is no problem.

I don't believe that touching Foxgloves will cause any problems unless you licked your fingers after handling them. Even so, I think you would need to ingest quite bit for it to become fatal. Nausea, diarrhea and loss of appetite is one of the symptoms of Foxglove (Digitalis) poisoning.

As Bulbaholic said, Digitalis is extracted for use in drugs for people with heart problems and it's also used as an aid to weight loss.

The Italian mother of a friend of mine used to cut the smallest new leaves and put them in salads (apparently they tasted quite sharp/acid). He doesn't eat with her too often now, but she's in her 80s.

cheers guys x

There are not many plants in our gardens that are dangerous to touch. Oleander is perhaps the most widely available that is toxic. Euphorbia can be toxic to animals (will kill fish if it falls in a pond).

I pull up my old ones with bare hands and have never come to any harm.