Fox G. Love :

Another drawing I did for my alternative medicine talk. Representing the herbal Foxglove, the origin of the cardiac glycoside, digitalis.

Foxglove itself is considered poisonous because eating the raw herbal does not give predictable safe amounts of digitalis, but often results in lethal overdoses of digitalis (per an X-Files episode or Agatha Christie novels). Causing weakness, heart arrhythmias, complete heart block and death in the worst cases.

Through modern science, the active compound of Foxglove has been isolated and prescribed as Digoxin, a very common and effective heart medication. (Shown in massive cardiac trials to improve symptoms and decrease hospitalizations in systolic heart failure. No improvement in mortality though.) It's levels are monitored carefully but being able to give predictable small dosages makes it a much safer drug.

Foxglove like many alternative medicines has many romantic names, including Witch's Glove, Virgin's Glove, Fairy Fingers.

The girl in the drawing is wearing a Korean hairpin ring and pin. Streaked hair seems to be the popular thing among many an Asian femme both in America and Korea.

She is wearing a little fox hand puppet (fox glove) as well. Something I saw a Korean pop singer wearing in concert, and I thought it (and she) was cute. The singer was Baek Ji Young, face modelled after her as well.

The puppet is the cute aspect of foxglove. The heart emblems represent the cardiac effects of the drug. And the giant were-fox shadow in the background represents her potentially lethal and toxic effects.

I kind of like the whole half-God half-animal origin of Korean people in Korean mythology.