by Eric Yarnell, ND, RH(AHG)
Last updated 13 July 2022
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Table of Contents
Clinical Highlights
Aconite is one of the most potent herbs in the entire materia medica, to used with great caution. Aconite overdose is potentially lethal due to arrhythmias.
At usual therapeutic doses, there are no adverse effects. Early signs of overdose include paresthesias, nausea, vertigo, and anxiety.
Aconite, in very small doses, is a potent analgesic, febrifuge, and sedative.
Aconite is primarily used to control severe pain and high fevers.
At usual therapeutic doses, there are no adverse effects. Early signs of overdose include paresthesias, nausea, vertigo, and anxiety.
Aconite, in very small doses, is a potent analgesic, febrifuge, and sedative.
Aconite is primarily used to control severe pain and high fevers.
Aconitum carmichaeli flowers (photo copyright E. Yarnell)
Aconitum napellus leaf (photo copyright E. Yarnell)
Surface of Aconitum carmichaeli prepared root (photo copyright Heron Botanicals, used with permission)
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Aconitum carmichaeli flower (photo copyright E. Yarnell)
Aconitum napellus flower (photo copyright E. Yarnell)
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Clinical Fundamentals
Part Used: The safest form of the herb is dried lateral root (as opposed to the main taproot) that has been decocted or cooked in some way to alter and deplete alkaloid levels. Higher doses are then required of this medicine to get clinical effects, though overdose is less likely to occur. Fresh root (or, much less commonly, flowering tops) has also been used to make tinctures, though far less of this should be used due to much higher alkaloid levels or relative lack of knowledge of which alkaloids are present and how they will act (Wang, et al. 2003a).
Taste: Numbing, acrid
Major Actions:
Major Organ System Affinities
Major Indications:
In one open randomized trial, a combination of oral Chinese licorice and Sichuan aconite was as effective as diclofenac for reducing pain due to knee osteoarthritis (Deng 2008).
Major Constituents:
Those aconite alkaloids with aroyloxy group at R4 position (and of significantly lower molecular weight), including N-deacetyllappaconitine, lappaconitine, ranaconitine, N-deacetylfinaconitine, and N-deacetylranaconitine, were far less toxic yet still significantly anesthetic compared to alkaloids with an aroyl/aroyloxy group at the R14 position, including yunaconitine, bulleyaconitine, aconitine, beiwutine, nagarine, 3-acetyl aconitine, and penduline (Bello-Ramirez and Nava-Ocampo 2004).
Taste: Numbing, acrid
Major Actions:
- Analgesic (Hikino, et al. 1979)
- Not a prostaglandin inhibitor (Murayama and Namiki 1989)
- Febrifuge, antipyretic (Hikino, et al. 1979)
- Sedative
Major Organ System Affinities
- Nervous system
Major Indications:
- Fever, high or uncontrolled
- Pain, severe (Tai, et al. 2015)
- Due to cancer
- Neurogenic pain such as trigeminal neuralgia
- Headache, severe, non-migraine
- Neuralgia, topical and internal (Tai, et al. 2015)
- Posherpetic neuralgia (Nakanishi, et al. 2012)
- Arthritis, topical and internal (Deng 2008)
In one open randomized trial, a combination of oral Chinese licorice and Sichuan aconite was as effective as diclofenac for reducing pain due to knee osteoarthritis (Deng 2008).
Major Constituents:
- Diterpenoid alkaloids
- Flavonoids (Braca, et al. 2003)
Those aconite alkaloids with aroyloxy group at R4 position (and of significantly lower molecular weight), including N-deacetyllappaconitine, lappaconitine, ranaconitine, N-deacetylfinaconitine, and N-deacetylranaconitine, were far less toxic yet still significantly anesthetic compared to alkaloids with an aroyl/aroyloxy group at the R14 position, including yunaconitine, bulleyaconitine, aconitine, beiwutine, nagarine, 3-acetyl aconitine, and penduline (Bello-Ramirez and Nava-Ocampo 2004).
Adverse Effects: Though generally none occur at therapeutic doses, aconite can cause nausea, paresthesias and numbness of the mouth and lips (only if the medicine actually touches them; this doesn't occur with capsules), restlessness, or palpitations. See the overdose section below for more on this.
All aconite products should be kept out of reach of children and, ideally, in child-proof containers. They should be clearly marked as poisonous.
If palpitations occur, treatment should be immediately ceased and the patient closely monitored as these may be early signs of overdose.
The toxic effects of aconite are mediated through voltage-gated sodium channels, modulation of neurotransmitter release, lipid peroxidation, and induction of apoptosis of various cells (Fu, et al. 2006).
Overdose: Note that patients who survive overdoses generally have no lasting negative effects (Tai, et al. 1992). In Hong Kong, there were 31 reported cases of aconite-associated poisonings at public hospitals and 2 patients died of ventricular arrhythmias from 1989–1991 (Chan 2002). After public awareness campaigns and media awareness increased, particularly about using unprocessed aconite roots (川烏 chuān wū) and processed wild aconite lateral roots (製草烏 zhì cǎo wū), herbalists seemed to use lower doses of these herbs and poisonings markedly decreased.
Signs of overdose:
Overdose Case Reports:
A 21-year-old man took 3 caps with 237 mg root (and 19 mcg aconitine) each to sleep. He awoke in 5 h with general paresthesia, nausea, diarrhea, vertigo, dyspnea, chest pain, and dyschromatopsia (disrupted color vision). He went to the emergency room 7 h after ingestion and had bradycardia with ventricular arrhythmia. Within 13 h all cardiovascular and neurological symptoms cleared (Moritz, et al. 2005).
Treatment of Aconite Poisoning:
General
Antidotes for arrhythmias:
Antidotes, general
Contraindications:
Drug Interactions: Though there is little information from human studies on drug interactions, caution is warranted when combining aconite with proarrhythmic drugs and particularly those that prolong the QT interval (amiodarone, dofetilide, ibutilide, procainamide, quinidine, sotalol, fluoroquinolone antibiotics, ketoconazole, tricyclic antidepressants, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, antipsychotics, triptans, dolasetron, and methadone).
Herbal Incompatibilities: According to traditional Chinese medicine, Sichuan aconite is not to be combined with Bulbus Fritillariae, Rhizoma Pinelliae, Rhizoma Bletillae, Radix Ampelopsis, and Radix Trichosanthis.
All aconite products should be kept out of reach of children and, ideally, in child-proof containers. They should be clearly marked as poisonous.
If palpitations occur, treatment should be immediately ceased and the patient closely monitored as these may be early signs of overdose.
The toxic effects of aconite are mediated through voltage-gated sodium channels, modulation of neurotransmitter release, lipid peroxidation, and induction of apoptosis of various cells (Fu, et al. 2006).
Overdose: Note that patients who survive overdoses generally have no lasting negative effects (Tai, et al. 1992). In Hong Kong, there were 31 reported cases of aconite-associated poisonings at public hospitals and 2 patients died of ventricular arrhythmias from 1989–1991 (Chan 2002). After public awareness campaigns and media awareness increased, particularly about using unprocessed aconite roots (川烏 chuān wū) and processed wild aconite lateral roots (製草烏 zhì cǎo wū), herbalists seemed to use lower doses of these herbs and poisonings markedly decreased.
Signs of overdose:
- Gastrointestinal
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Neurological
- Paresthesias and numbness of limbs
- Weakness
- Tetraplegia (Chan, et al. 1994a)
- Anxiety
- Blurred vision
- Cardiovascular
- Hypotension
- Ventricular ectopic beats
- Heart block
- Tachycardia (Tai, et al. 1992)
- Atrial fibrillation
- Ventricular arrhythmias (including torsade de pointes and fibrillation), potentially lethal (Imazio, et al. 2000)
- Respiratory
- Decreased respiratory rate
- Respiratory paralysis, potentially lethal
Overdose Case Reports:
A 21-year-old man took 3 caps with 237 mg root (and 19 mcg aconitine) each to sleep. He awoke in 5 h with general paresthesia, nausea, diarrhea, vertigo, dyspnea, chest pain, and dyschromatopsia (disrupted color vision). He went to the emergency room 7 h after ingestion and had bradycardia with ventricular arrhythmia. Within 13 h all cardiovascular and neurological symptoms cleared (Moritz, et al. 2005).
Treatment of Aconite Poisoning:
General
- Discontinue aconite intake.
- Keep patient still.
- Administer tannins or activated charcoal, or pump the stomach.
Antidotes for arrhythmias:
- Flecainide
- Beta-blockers
- Atropine
- Lidocaine IV
- Calcium channel blockers often ineffective
- Pacemaker for progressive disease
Antidotes, general
- Charcoal hemoperfusion (Lin, et al. 2002)
- Ethanol and digitalis, onset slow (Felter 1922)
- Mechanical ventilation
- Do NOT administer potassium or beta-blockers.
Contraindications:
- Suicidal ideation
- Pregnancy
- Lactation
- Use caution in patients with arrhythmias.
Drug Interactions: Though there is little information from human studies on drug interactions, caution is warranted when combining aconite with proarrhythmic drugs and particularly those that prolong the QT interval (amiodarone, dofetilide, ibutilide, procainamide, quinidine, sotalol, fluoroquinolone antibiotics, ketoconazole, tricyclic antidepressants, fluoxetine, sertraline, venlafaxine, antipsychotics, triptans, dolasetron, and methadone).
Herbal Incompatibilities: According to traditional Chinese medicine, Sichuan aconite is not to be combined with Bulbus Fritillariae, Rhizoma Pinelliae, Rhizoma Bletillae, Radix Ampelopsis, and Radix Trichosanthis.
Pharmacy Essentials
Critical notes on the importance of cooking aconite:
Boiling aconite roots can reduce alkaloid content up to 90% (Chan and Critchley 1996).
Cooking the roots changes diester diterpenoid alkaloids into lipoalkaloids and monoester alkaloids, thereby significantly reducing toxicity (Wang, et al. 2003b).
Though fresh aconite products can be used, albeit at very low doses, they are very much more risky than using processed ones. Therefore, only products made from the far better characterized and understood dried and cooked lateral roots are recommended here.
Tincture of processed lateral root: The safest version of aconite is dried then decocted lateral roots, 1:3–1:5 w:v ratio, 30–45% ethanol. Note: if you are using a 1:10 tincture, then the doses below should be doubled.
Dose:
Acute, adult: 3–5 gtt q2–3h, adjusted for body size and sensitivities
Chronic, adult: 3–5 gtt tid
Child: not recommended
Glycerite: not recommended for use as you do not want to cover the taste or make this more appealing to children
Decoction: 500–1,500 mg processed root per 250 ml simmered for 1–2 h in a closed container, drink 0.5--1 cup tid. Up to 6 g of processed root is recommended in many Chinese herbal formula recipes.
Dose:
Acute adult: 1 cup up to q2–3h for 1–2 days
Chronic, adult: 0.5–1 cup tid
Child: not recommended
If you need help formulating with this herb, or any other, you can use the formulation tool. Remember that when using this herb in a formula, due to synergy, you can usually use less.
Boiling aconite roots can reduce alkaloid content up to 90% (Chan and Critchley 1996).
Cooking the roots changes diester diterpenoid alkaloids into lipoalkaloids and monoester alkaloids, thereby significantly reducing toxicity (Wang, et al. 2003b).
Though fresh aconite products can be used, albeit at very low doses, they are very much more risky than using processed ones. Therefore, only products made from the far better characterized and understood dried and cooked lateral roots are recommended here.
Tincture of processed lateral root: The safest version of aconite is dried then decocted lateral roots, 1:3–1:5 w:v ratio, 30–45% ethanol. Note: if you are using a 1:10 tincture, then the doses below should be doubled.
Dose:
Acute, adult: 3–5 gtt q2–3h, adjusted for body size and sensitivities
Chronic, adult: 3–5 gtt tid
Child: not recommended
Glycerite: not recommended for use as you do not want to cover the taste or make this more appealing to children
Decoction: 500–1,500 mg processed root per 250 ml simmered for 1–2 h in a closed container, drink 0.5--1 cup tid. Up to 6 g of processed root is recommended in many Chinese herbal formula recipes.
Dose:
Acute adult: 1 cup up to q2–3h for 1–2 days
Chronic, adult: 0.5–1 cup tid
Child: not recommended
If you need help formulating with this herb, or any other, you can use the formulation tool. Remember that when using this herb in a formula, due to synergy, you can usually use less.
Other Names
Latin synonyms:
Current correct Latin binomial: Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux
Aconitum bodinieri H Lév & Vaniot
Aconitum jiulongense WT Wang
Aconitum kusnezoffii var bodinieri (H Lév & Vaniot) Finet & Gagnep
Aconitum lushanense Migo
Aconitum wilsonii Stapf ex Mottet
English Common Names: Sichuan aconite, Chinese aconite
Asian Common Names: see table
Current correct Latin binomial: Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux
Aconitum bodinieri H Lév & Vaniot
Aconitum jiulongense WT Wang
Aconitum kusnezoffii var bodinieri (H Lév & Vaniot) Finet & Gagnep
Aconitum lushanense Migo
Aconitum wilsonii Stapf ex Mottet
English Common Names: Sichuan aconite, Chinese aconite
Asian Common Names: see table
| Product | Chinese (Mandarin) | Japanese | Korean |
| A. carmichaeli processed lateral root | 附子 fù zǐ ("appendage") | shuchi-bushi-matsu | |
| A. carmichaeli prepared main root | 川烏 chuān wū ("Sichuan crow's head") | ||
| A. carmichaeli plant | 烏頭 (traditional), 乌头 (simplified) wū tóu ("raven/black head") | bushi | puja, buja |
| A. kusnezoffii prepared lateral root | 製草烏 zhì cǎo wū ("prepared black grass") | ||
| A. kusnezoffii fresh root | 草烏 cǎo wū ("black grass") | ||
Latin synonyms:
Current correct Latin binomial: Acontium napellus L
Aconitum ampliflorum Rchb
Aconitum anglicum Stapf
Aconitum confertum Rchb
Aconitum fornicatum Gilib
Aconitum funckii Rchb
Aconitum grandiflorum Pall
Aconitum halleri Rchb
Aconitum microstachyum Rchb
Aconitum neubergense DC
Aconitum spicatum Donn
Aconitum venustum Rchb
Aconitum willdenowii Rchb
Delphinium napellus Baill
Napellus vulgaris Fourr
English common names: monkshood, monks-hood, monk’s-hood, monk's blood, monk's hood (all referring to shape of the flower), aconite, auld wife's huid, bear's-foot, blue rocket, European blue-monkshood, friar's cap, garden monk's-hood, garden monkshood, helmet flower, Turk's-cap, Venus' chariot, wolf's bane, wolfsbane, devil's helmet
Albanian common name: spineri
Arabic common names: بيش, قاتل النمر, هلهل
Azerbaijani common name: turpabənzər kəpənəkçiçəyi
Basque common name: irabelar
Catalan common names: acònit blau, escanyallops, herba tora, herba verinosa, matallops blau, siuet o sivet, tora, tora blava, xiuet
Czech common name: oměj šalamounek
Danish common names: blå stormhat, blå venusvogn, stormhat, venusvogn, ægte stormhat ægte stormhat ægte stormhat, ægte stormhat
Dutch common names: blauwe monnikskap, duivelskruid, monnikskap, monnikskapsoort, gewone akoniet
Esperanto common names: blua akonito, akonito blua, akonito napela, kaskofloro blua
Estonian common name: sinine käoking
Finnish common names: ukonhattu, aitoukonhattu
French common names: aconit napel, capuchon-de-moine, casque bleu, casque de jupiter, char de vénus, napel
German common names: blauer Eisenhut, blaue Mönchskappe, echter Eisenhut, echter Sturmhut, Eisenhut, Fischerkappe, Fuchswurz, Gifthut, Giftkraut, Mönchshut, Reiterkappe, Sturmhut, Tübeli, Venuswagen, Wolfskraut, Wolfswurz, Würgling, Ziegentod
Hungarian common names: havasi sisakvirág, kék sisakvirág
Icelandic common names: bláhjálmur, venusarvagn, venusvagn
Irish common name: dáthabha, dáthabha-dubh
Italian common names: aconito napello, aconitum napellus, erba luparia
Kurdish common name: çirnûkê gur
Latvian common name: zilā kurpīte
Lithuanian common name: mėlynoji kurpelė
Malayalam common name: വത്സനാഭി
Nepali common name: madhu bikh
Norwegian common names: storhjelm , venusvogn
Persian common name: اقونیطون
Polish common names: tojad mocny, tojad, tojam mocny
Portuguese common name: acônito (continental and Brazilian)
Russian common names: боре́ц клобучко́вый, аконит, акони́т клобучко́вый, борец клобучковый, садовый аконит
Scottish Gaelic common names: currac-sagairt, currac-manaich, flùr an t-sagairt, tàthabha (generic term for many poisonous plants), fuath-mhadaidh, fuath a' mhadaidh, tàthabha-dubh
Slovak common name: prilbica modrá
Slovenian common names: preobjeda repičasta, repičasta preobjeda
Spanish common names: acónito común, acónito, aconitum napellus, acotnito, anapelo, matalobos, nabillo del diablo, napelo
Swedish common name: äkta stormhatt
Turkish common names: boğanotu, kaplanboğanotu, migferotu
Welsh common names: cwcwll y mynach, bleidd-dag, cwfl y mynach, llysiau'r blaidd
Aconite is derived from the Greek name for the plank, ἀκόνιτον (akóniton). This literally means, "without struggle or without dust" (κόνις = dust). It may be derived from the ancient name of the city of Acona in Turkey, related to the Greek word akona, "rock," possibly related to the predilection of the herb for growing near rocky hills and mountains (Benigni et al., 1971). It was Latinized as Aconitum. The species name napellus is <Latin and means "small turnip," describing the shape of the root. The species name carmichaeli is after J. R. Carmichael (1838–1870), an English physician and plant collector who also worked as a Christian missionary in China. The species name kusnezoffii is after Russian botanist Nikolai Kuznetsov (1864–1932).
Latin synonyms:
Current correct Latin binomial: Aconitum columbianum Nutt
Aconitum arizonicum Greene
Aconitum bakeri Greene
Aconitum geranioides Greene
Aconitum glaberrimum Rydb
Aconitum leibergii Greene
Aconitum lutescens A Nelson
Aconitum macilentum Greene
Aconitum mogollonicum Greene
Aconitum nivatum A Nelson
Aconitum obtusiflorum Greene
Aconitum ochroleucum Rydb
Aconitum oregonsense Raf
Aconitum patens Rydb
Aconitum platysepalum Greene
Aconitum porrectum Rydb
Aconitum ramosum A Nelson
Aconitum robertianum Greene
Aconitum subcaesium Greene
Aconitum tricorne Greene
Aconitum vestitum Greene
Native American Common Names (grouped linguistically and geographically):
Nēhiyawēwin ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ (Cree, Algonquian):
Ndee biyáti' (Western Apache, Athabaskan):
Akimel O'odham (Mountain Piman, Uto-Aztecan):
Hopilàvayi (Hopi, Uto-Aztecan):
Núu-'apaghapi (Ute, Uto-Aztecan):
Rarámuri ra'ícha (Tarahumara, Uto-Aztecan):
Shiwi'ma (Zuñi, isolate):
Current correct Latin binomial: Acontium napellus L
Aconitum ampliflorum Rchb
Aconitum anglicum Stapf
Aconitum confertum Rchb
Aconitum fornicatum Gilib
Aconitum funckii Rchb
Aconitum grandiflorum Pall
Aconitum halleri Rchb
Aconitum microstachyum Rchb
Aconitum neubergense DC
Aconitum spicatum Donn
Aconitum venustum Rchb
Aconitum willdenowii Rchb
Delphinium napellus Baill
Napellus vulgaris Fourr
English common names: monkshood, monks-hood, monk’s-hood, monk's blood, monk's hood (all referring to shape of the flower), aconite, auld wife's huid, bear's-foot, blue rocket, European blue-monkshood, friar's cap, garden monk's-hood, garden monkshood, helmet flower, Turk's-cap, Venus' chariot, wolf's bane, wolfsbane, devil's helmet
Albanian common name: spineri
Arabic common names: بيش, قاتل النمر, هلهل
Azerbaijani common name: turpabənzər kəpənəkçiçəyi
Basque common name: irabelar
Catalan common names: acònit blau, escanyallops, herba tora, herba verinosa, matallops blau, siuet o sivet, tora, tora blava, xiuet
Czech common name: oměj šalamounek
Danish common names: blå stormhat, blå venusvogn, stormhat, venusvogn, ægte stormhat ægte stormhat ægte stormhat, ægte stormhat
Dutch common names: blauwe monnikskap, duivelskruid, monnikskap, monnikskapsoort, gewone akoniet
Esperanto common names: blua akonito, akonito blua, akonito napela, kaskofloro blua
Estonian common name: sinine käoking
Finnish common names: ukonhattu, aitoukonhattu
French common names: aconit napel, capuchon-de-moine, casque bleu, casque de jupiter, char de vénus, napel
German common names: blauer Eisenhut, blaue Mönchskappe, echter Eisenhut, echter Sturmhut, Eisenhut, Fischerkappe, Fuchswurz, Gifthut, Giftkraut, Mönchshut, Reiterkappe, Sturmhut, Tübeli, Venuswagen, Wolfskraut, Wolfswurz, Würgling, Ziegentod
Hungarian common names: havasi sisakvirág, kék sisakvirág
Icelandic common names: bláhjálmur, venusarvagn, venusvagn
Irish common name: dáthabha, dáthabha-dubh
Italian common names: aconito napello, aconitum napellus, erba luparia
Kurdish common name: çirnûkê gur
Latvian common name: zilā kurpīte
Lithuanian common name: mėlynoji kurpelė
Malayalam common name: വത്സനാഭി
Nepali common name: madhu bikh
Norwegian common names: storhjelm , venusvogn
Persian common name: اقونیطون
Polish common names: tojad mocny, tojad, tojam mocny
Portuguese common name: acônito (continental and Brazilian)
Russian common names: боре́ц клобучко́вый, аконит, акони́т клобучко́вый, борец клобучковый, садовый аконит
Scottish Gaelic common names: currac-sagairt, currac-manaich, flùr an t-sagairt, tàthabha (generic term for many poisonous plants), fuath-mhadaidh, fuath a' mhadaidh, tàthabha-dubh
Slovak common name: prilbica modrá
Slovenian common names: preobjeda repičasta, repičasta preobjeda
Spanish common names: acónito común, acónito, aconitum napellus, acotnito, anapelo, matalobos, nabillo del diablo, napelo
Swedish common name: äkta stormhatt
Turkish common names: boğanotu, kaplanboğanotu, migferotu
Welsh common names: cwcwll y mynach, bleidd-dag, cwfl y mynach, llysiau'r blaidd
Aconite is derived from the Greek name for the plank, ἀκόνιτον (akóniton). This literally means, "without struggle or without dust" (κόνις = dust). It may be derived from the ancient name of the city of Acona in Turkey, related to the Greek word akona, "rock," possibly related to the predilection of the herb for growing near rocky hills and mountains (Benigni et al., 1971). It was Latinized as Aconitum. The species name napellus is <Latin and means "small turnip," describing the shape of the root. The species name carmichaeli is after J. R. Carmichael (1838–1870), an English physician and plant collector who also worked as a Christian missionary in China. The species name kusnezoffii is after Russian botanist Nikolai Kuznetsov (1864–1932).
Latin synonyms:
Current correct Latin binomial: Aconitum columbianum Nutt
Aconitum arizonicum Greene
Aconitum bakeri Greene
Aconitum geranioides Greene
Aconitum glaberrimum Rydb
Aconitum leibergii Greene
Aconitum lutescens A Nelson
Aconitum macilentum Greene
Aconitum mogollonicum Greene
Aconitum nivatum A Nelson
Aconitum obtusiflorum Greene
Aconitum ochroleucum Rydb
Aconitum oregonsense Raf
Aconitum patens Rydb
Aconitum platysepalum Greene
Aconitum porrectum Rydb
Aconitum ramosum A Nelson
Aconitum robertianum Greene
Aconitum subcaesium Greene
Aconitum tricorne Greene
Aconitum vestitum Greene
Native American Common Names (grouped linguistically and geographically):
Nēhiyawēwin ᓀᐦᐃᔭᐍᐏᐣ (Cree, Algonquian):
Ndee biyáti' (Western Apache, Athabaskan):
Akimel O'odham (Mountain Piman, Uto-Aztecan):
Hopilàvayi (Hopi, Uto-Aztecan):
Núu-'apaghapi (Ute, Uto-Aztecan):
Rarámuri ra'ícha (Tarahumara, Uto-Aztecan):
Shiwi'ma (Zuñi, isolate):
Interchangeability of Species
Many, probably all, aconite species are medicinal, with varying degrees of potency and potential toxicity. Probably the best understood of all these species is Aconitum carmichaeli. It has a long record of use in traditional Asian medicine, and in particular is the basis of the knowing that cooked roots are much safer to use than fresh or dried roots. Overall there is much better, clearer scientific and traditional information about this species, making it the primary species recommended for use.
A. kusnezoffii has also been used in traditional Asian medicine, though it is considered much more potent and thus toxic than A. carmichaeli. Its use is not recommended.
The standard species used in Europe is A. napellus. Information about it is much less clear, though fairly abundant, and so it is considered at best a second-tier choice after A. carmichaeli.
Aconitum columbianum, native to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, is also available and is moderately less potent than A. napellus.
A. kusnezoffii has also been used in traditional Asian medicine, though it is considered much more potent and thus toxic than A. carmichaeli. Its use is not recommended.
The standard species used in Europe is A. napellus. Information about it is much less clear, though fairly abundant, and so it is considered at best a second-tier choice after A. carmichaeli.
Aconitum columbianum, native to the mountains of the Pacific Northwest, is also available and is moderately less potent than A. napellus.
Advanced Clinical Information
Additional Actions:
In rats, the Sichuan aconite portion of the formula gosha-jinki-gan decreased bladder sensation by stimulating κ-opioid receptors, and did not affect bladder contractility and thus force of the urine stream (Gotoh, et al. 2004).
Diterpenoid alkaloids from aconite are believed to act primarily by activating sodium channels in excitable cells, notably neurons, cardiac myocytes, and skeletal myocytes, thereby inhibiting repolarization (Jouglard et al, 1977). This tends to induce excessive parasympathetic activity, which can cause nausea, vomiting, paresthesias, hypotension, and bradycardia. However, many other complex actions of these compounds on alpha-adrenergic and other receptors have been demonstrated (Isono, et al. 1994).
Additional Indications:
Herbalist Michael Moore has utilized processed root tincture of western aconite to help some people withdraw from amphetamines and cocaine. He has also used this product for treating people with chronic allergies not responding to other treatments.
A human trial has shown that fu zi increases nitric oxide production, perhaps leading to vasodilation and explaining its use for "cold" syndromes with poor cirulation in traditional Asian medicine (Yamada, et al. 2005).
Allapinin (allapinine) is a semi-synthetic derivative of the diterpenoid alkaloid aconitine developed in Russia. It has been used successfully to treat various types of arrhythmias in clinical trials, such as atrial fibrillation (Kadyrova, et al. 1990).
Intravenous injection of 100 ml of a solution containing 800 mcg ginsenoside and 1.8 mcg aconitine per ml, mixed with 500 ml of 5% glucose (known as shenfu injection), into patients with aplastic anemia, along with stanozol and cyclosporin A, was not significantly different than stanozol and cyclosporin A alone in treating patients with aplastic anemia (Wang, et al. 2005).
In rats, the Sichuan aconite portion of the formula gosha-jinki-gan decreased bladder sensation by stimulating κ-opioid receptors, and did not affect bladder contractility and thus force of the urine stream (Gotoh, et al. 2004).
Diterpenoid alkaloids from aconite are believed to act primarily by activating sodium channels in excitable cells, notably neurons, cardiac myocytes, and skeletal myocytes, thereby inhibiting repolarization (Jouglard et al, 1977). This tends to induce excessive parasympathetic activity, which can cause nausea, vomiting, paresthesias, hypotension, and bradycardia. However, many other complex actions of these compounds on alpha-adrenergic and other receptors have been demonstrated (Isono, et al. 1994).
Additional Indications:
- Amphetamine or cocaine withdrawal
- Allergies, chronic
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Cold syndromes (Yamada, et al. 2005)
Herbalist Michael Moore has utilized processed root tincture of western aconite to help some people withdraw from amphetamines and cocaine. He has also used this product for treating people with chronic allergies not responding to other treatments.
A human trial has shown that fu zi increases nitric oxide production, perhaps leading to vasodilation and explaining its use for "cold" syndromes with poor cirulation in traditional Asian medicine (Yamada, et al. 2005).
Allapinin (allapinine) is a semi-synthetic derivative of the diterpenoid alkaloid aconitine developed in Russia. It has been used successfully to treat various types of arrhythmias in clinical trials, such as atrial fibrillation (Kadyrova, et al. 1990).
Intravenous injection of 100 ml of a solution containing 800 mcg ginsenoside and 1.8 mcg aconitine per ml, mixed with 500 ml of 5% glucose (known as shenfu injection), into patients with aplastic anemia, along with stanozol and cyclosporin A, was not significantly different than stanozol and cyclosporin A alone in treating patients with aplastic anemia (Wang, et al. 2005).
Botanical Information
Botanical Description:
Native range:
Native range:
Native range of Amelanchier alnifolia
Harvest, Cultivation, and Ecology
Cultivation:
Wildcrafting:
Ecological Status:
Wildcrafting:
Ecological Status:
References
Hosseinian BT (2007) "Saskatoon and wild blueberries have higher anthocyanin contents than other Manitoba berries" J Agric Food Chem 55(26):10832–8.
Mazza G (2005) "Compositional and functional properties of saskatoon berry and blueberry" Int J Fruit Sci 5(3):101–20.
Mazza G (2005) "Compositional and functional properties of saskatoon berry and blueberry" Int J Fruit Sci 5(3):101–20.