Aconite

Family: Ranunculaceae

Genus: Aconitum

Related genera: Anemone, Aquilegia, Delphinium, Helleborus, Pulsatilla,

Ranunculus

The poisonous plant genus Aconitum consists of at least a hundred different species
and has an array of legends and folklore attributed to it.

Sometimes called the Queen of Poisons or ‚Plant Arsenic’, similar to how Arsenic is
considered to be the King of Poisons.

A distinction sometimes found concerns the names Monkshood and Wolfsbane.

Some argue the original Wolfsbane is the white or yellow-flowered species Aconitum
lycoctonum whereas the blue flowering Monkshood, Aconitum napellus is probably
the better known of the two species and it is frequently found in Medieval monastery
gardens. The two species contain different poisons, which are however similar in
effect.

Mythology and History

The Greek word akónitos is composed of ak = pointed and kônos = cone, an akon
being a dart or javelin, perhaps a refernce to the use as an arrow poison.
Theophrastus suggests the name derived from the town of Aconæ (today assumed to
be near Karadeniz Ereğli in Turkey). It may also have been named after Mount
Akonitos in Pontus (Asia Minor), where the plant is said to have grown from the
spittle of Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of Hades, when the folkhero Heracles
drew up the beast from his infernal abode. Homer (800 bc) gives the first account of
this myth in the Illiad. Eight centuries later Ovid embellishes the story in
Metamorphoses VII where he describes the plant's origin and tells of Scythian
sorceress Medea who attempted to poison Theseus with aconite. Aconite features also
in Metamorphoses VI; Athena sprinkles Arachne with aconite upon which she is
transformed into a spider (VI, 129ff.). Ovid also writes aconite was called 'flintwort' or
'stoneherb' by farmers of the region, because the plant grew on barren rocks. Pliny
the Elder also assumes the name aconite was derived from aeonæ = rocks, on which
the plant was found to grow. Besides, Cerberus is first mentioned by Hesiod (800-
700bc), who describes the dog as fifty-headed and being the offspring of Typhon, the
largest and most deadly of all creatures and Father of all Monsters, and the she-viper
Echidna, Mother of all Monsters. Hence in Greec mythology Aconite is of monstrous
origin.

Aconite is also called hecateis after the goddess Hecate, to whom it is sacred. Hecate,
goddess of witchcraft, is associated with shape-shifting, e.g. when called upon as
Lycania. In connection with witchcraft aconite is also thought to have been used by
Thessalonian witches in flying ointments as well as by medieval witches, who mixed
the seeds into hallucinogenic ointments. Amongst Germanic tribes it is reported to
have been used by the Berserkers when they transformed into 'werewolves'. Aconite is
said to cause a sensation on the skin of wearing a fur-coat or feathers and may induce
hallucinations of transformating into different kinds of animals. Indo-European
culture holds the name Luppewurz (old German luppi = deathly juice/poison/spell).
Similar also Latin lupus = wolf. The Greek byname lycoctonum means wolf-killer,
referring to its use in poisoned wolf baits, hence also the English name Wolfsbane.

Dioscurides distinguishes two species, Akoniton lycoctonum is noted to be an

anodyne in eye medications, and was used to "kill panthers, wolves, and other wild
beasts" (see also Virgil), and Aconitum napellus (monkshood), also poisonous and
used to "kill wolves". (De Materia Medica IV. 77, IV. 78) The name napellus comes
from Latin napus = a small turnip.

Pliny the Elder also refers to the herb as 'plant arsenic', and dedicates chapter 2 of his
Natural History to the "most prompt of all poisons", which he claims was also an
antidote to scorpion poison. In the same context he mentions the White Hellebore
(Veratrum album) as the antagonist of aconite. He goes on to describe the use of
aconite and hellebore as 'pardalianches' = pard-strangle.

Being one of the most poisonous herbs native you Europe aconite has also a long
history in poison murder. Pliny mentions Calpurnius Bestia, who killed his wifes in
sleep by touching their genitalia with his finger, which he smeared with aconite root
extracts. According to Pliny aconite was thus also called 'thelyphonon', female-bane
or ‘woman killer’. Aconite brought in contact with the mucuouse menbranes of female
genitalia would cause instant death! He assumes yet another name, 'scorpio', was
based on the curved shape of the root resembling a scorpion's tail.

In Germanic folklore aconite was sacred to Thor, the god of thunderstorms and
lightning, as the name Thor's Hat indicates. In German the plant is commonly called
Eisenhut and Sturmhut (helmet) as well as Mönchshut (monk’s hood). Less known
German names are Venuskutschen or Venuswagen (venus wagon) - quite a contrast,
suggesting female and aphrodisiac attributes. The names are often based on various
interpretations of the shape of the flowers. More related to the plant's poisonous
effects are the German names Würgling, indicating death through asphyxiation, and
Ziegentod, referring to deaths of goats that accidentally ate of the plant.

Aconite has long been used as an arrow poison in hunting and war. Arrow heads were
dressed with aconite as well as the shafts, so that an enemy who drew an arrow from
the body of a wounded comrade would be poisoned too. In India aconite was mixed
with other poisons and applied to arrowheads, so that the targets would rave mad and
poison more people by biting them. Aconite's use as an early 'biological war weapon'
expands also to poisoning the enemy's water and food resources, e.g. the Romans
used it as such. Roman Emperor Claudius died of Aconite poisoning in year 54.

In India aconite is sacred to Shiva, the God of All Poisons. According to legend the
essence of all poisons spread from the whirling motion of the Ur-ocean or ocean of
milk (samudramathana) when it produced the holy cow. The gods were frightened
and ran to Kailash, where Shiva sat meditating, and asked him for help. Shiva took
the poison in his hand and drank it. His wife Parvati feared for her husband and
choked his throat so that the poison eventually would get stuck and upon which his
throat turned blue. Because of this Shiva is also called Nilakantha = "blue throat".
Through his deed Shiva saved all beings from becoming poisoned. Only a tiny bit of
the poison had dripped from his hand which until today flows in the veins of the blue
aconite and other poisonous plants. Another version of the story tells of Shiva having
turned blue from consuming all the poisons in the world. In his likeness Aghoris
consume poisonous Shiva-associated plants (e.g. Aconitum ferox, Cannabis indica,
Datura metel, Papaver somniferum) and other poisons (Cobra venom, quicksilver,
arsenic) in order to experience the divine consciousness of Shiva. Advanced
practitioners consume a smoking blend of Cannabis indica and Aconitum ferox
(called vatsanabha or bish) root. The Saradatilaka Tantra describes Shiva in His
Nilakantha aspect: "He shines like a myriad of rising suns, he wears a shining
crescent moon in his long entangled hair. His four arms are adorned with snakes. He
has five heads, each with three eyes, he wears a tiger skin and is armed with a
trishula."

Aconite appears in Christian iconography as a symbol of death and it is the symbol for
toxicity in European nature. It was a classic in Christian medieval monastery gardens
and there exists a fictional account of its use by Christian monks in Gustav Meyrink's
novel, The Cardinal Napellus. The story is about a brotherhood named the 'Blue
Brothers', who believed that Cardinal Napellus, the founder of their order, had
transformed into the very first Aconite plant and all further aconite plants have
derived from him. Aconitum napellus is featured on the order's coat of arms and the
monastery garden is a huge aconite field, planted by neophytes after admission into
the order. In the story these neophytes sprinkle the plants with the blood that flows
from their scourging wounds. "The symbolism of this ritual of blood baptism lies
within the planting of the human soul inside the Garden of Eden and fertilizing the
plants' growth with the blood of men's desires." The members of the order use the
plant for inducing hallucinations or gaining higher consciousness: "When the flowers
vanished, we would collect the poisonous seeds, which resemble small human hearts
and according to the secret doctrine of the order depict the seed of faith, of which is
written that it lends the power to shift mountains, and they would eat from it. Like
the dreadful poison changes the heart and brings men to the liminal point between
death and life, so the essence of faith was meant to transform our blood - to become a
miraculous force within the hours of gnawing death torment and ecstasy." (Meyrink
1984).
Species & Gallery

Aconitum lycoctonum, Left: Flower pollinated by Bumblebee, Right: Herb Harvest

Aconitum carmichaelii, Left: Over 2 m tall Plant, Right: Flower during autumn

Aconitum napellus, Root Fetishes

Species:

Monkshood, Blue Aconite (Aconitum napellus)

Native to Western and Central Europe, tall helmet-shaped, purple-blue flowers

Chinese Aconite, Fu Zi, Herbst-Eisenhut (Aconitum carmichaelii)

Native to East Asia, bright blue flowers, traditionally used in TCM

Indian Aconite, Bish (Aconitum ferox)

Native to India, particularly West-Bengale (Darjeeling Hills), flowers of varying color
from blue-purple to pale white, yellow or pink; contains large amounts of
Pseudoaconitine (nepaline), considered the most poisonous plant in the world

Wolfsbane, Wolfseisenhut (Aconitum lycoctonum)

Native to Europe, yellow or white flowers, two subspecies:
1. Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. lycoctonum
2. Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. vulparia, also called Fuchseisenhut in German

Lamarck’s Aconite, Yellow Monkshood, Northern Wolfsbane, Pyrenäen-

Eisenhut
Native to Europe (Alps, Carpathia) and Northern Asia, yellow flowers, two sub-
species:
1. Aconitum lamarckii
2. Aconitum anthora

Columbian Monkshood, Western Monkshood (Aconitum columbianum)

Native to Northamerica, blue flowers
Medicinal

Poisoning: Aconite is said to cause a feeling of wearing a fur or a feather coat.

Smelling on the flowers is irritating to the nasal mucosa, causing them to swell up.
The herb in full flower is reported to emit fumes that cause temporary loss of sight. If
ingested aconite produces an acrid bitter taste. It is poisonous to goats and swine, but
is said to have stimulating effects on horses. Because it makes a horse fiery horse
traders would feed their horses aconite prior to offering them for sale.

Aconite brought in contact with an open wound on the finger may cause pain in the
whole arm and effect the entire cardiovascular and respiratory system. Already
touching the leaves or root has been reported to cause symptoms of poisoning.

Acute aconitin poisoning causes a tickling and burning sensation followed by

paralisation of the tongue and mouth and disabled speach. It may also cause a
hallucination of ants crawling all over the fingers, hands and feet, followed by
uncontrolled spasms and paralysation of the face muscles and a cold feeling, as if ice
water would run through the veins, since aconitin stimulates the body’s low
temperature receptors. These symptoms are followed by a decrease of all receptive
functions, paralysation of arms and legs, dyspnoe, seeing green, vertigo, ear
whistling, trigeminus distress, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and incontinence.
Increasing dyspnoe and cardial dysfunctions may ultimately result in death through
heart failure and or respiratory failure. Depending on the dose death may set in as
fast as within an hour. Aconite does not effect the cerebral functions. The patient may
fall into a coma only during the very last stage or remains clear of consciousness until
the last second, as in strychnine poisoning.

Treatment is mainly supportive. All patients require close monitoring of blood

pressure and cardiac rhythm. The stomach is emptied by tube or a non-depressant
emetic. Gastrointestinal decontamination with activated charcoal must happen
within 1 hour after ingestion. The major physiological antidote is atropine, which is
used to treat the bradycardia. Other drugs used for ventricular arrhythmia include
lidocaine, amiodarone, bretylium, flecainide, procainamide and mexiletine.
Cardiopulmonary bypass is indicated if the symptoms are refractory to treatment
with these drugs. Successful use of charcoal hemoperfusion has been claimed in
patients with severe aconite poisoning.

Historical antidotes are atropine and digitalis or strophanthin, injected

subcutaneously in maximal dose. Alcohol, strychnine, and warmth have also been
employed in the past, but are of course overcome today.

Medicinal Uses: In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Aconitum carmichaelii,

Fu Zi, is used to treat "coldness", general debility, and "Yang deficiency". Used are the
root (Tubera Aconiti, Radix Aconiti, Aconiti tuber) and herb (Herba Aconiti, Aconiti
herba).

Toxic Dose: 0,2 g cause symptoms of poisoning, 2 mg are said to be lethal. The
dried herb is tenable for one year. One report cites skin-contact with the leaves picked
with barren hands caused tickling, numbness and effects on the circulatory system.
Indian Aghoris smoke the herb in tantric rituals. There are no reports about dose.
All parts of the plant are poisonous. The highest concentration of poison is in the root
and seeds.

Biochemical: Different aconite species contain a number of varrying alcaloides and

amino-alcohols. Some named in literature are Aconitine, Hypaconitine,
Mesaconitine, Pseudoaconitine (Nepaline), Benzoylnaponine, Picroaconitine,
Lycaconitine, Lycoctonine, Aconine, Napelline, Neopelline and Neoline.

A. napellus contains the main alcaloide Aconitine (=Acetylbenzoylaconin).

Aconitine is contained in all parts with the highest concentration in the root. In some
subspecies the main ingredient is Mesaconitine.

A. lycoctonum contains the main alcaloide Lycaconitine. The distribution of

concentration in the plant is considered to be similar to that of aconitine in A.
napellus.

Aconitine is a potent neurotoxin that blocks tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium channels.

Pretreatment with barakol (10 mg/kg IV) reduces the incidence of aconitine-induced
ventricular fibrillation and ventricular tachycardia, as well as mortality. 5 µg/kg IV of
tetrodotoxin also had the same effect. The protective effects of barakol are probably
due to the prevention of intracellular sodium ion accumulation.

Aconitine
Other

According to Christian Rätsch the nectar of the flowers may produce a psychoactive
honey.

Sources

Wikipedia English, Wikipedia German

Aconitum spp. Information
Pliny the Elder, the Natural History, Book XXVII, 2.2.
Dioscorides, De Materia Medica IV. 77, IV. 78
Hesiod, Theogony
Ovid, Metamophoses VII
Homer, Illiad 8
Plants of Greec Myth
Aconite Poisoning
Aconite in the Encyclopedia Britannica
Christian Rätsch, Enzyklopädie der psychoaktiven Pflanzen
Gustav Meyrink, Le Cardinal Napellus

Text & Fotos by Wiebke Rost

On behalf of Teufelskunst, www.teufelskunst.com
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