A substance or medication that strengthens the contraction of the heart muscle and increases its pumping force.
Greek 'kardia' (heart) + 'tonikos' (relating to tension or strength), describing agents that tone the heart. Cardiotonic became a major pharmaceutical category once doctors understood that some drugs could improve cardiac muscle contraction.
Digitalis (from foxglove plants) was the first powerful cardiotonic drug, and it's still used today—medieval herbalists had no idea why foxglove helped heart patients, but now we know it directly strengthens the heart's contractions by affecting cellular chemistry.
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