Aconite, Monkshood, Wolfsbane, 附子 (Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West)

Aconite, Monkshood, Wolfsbane, 附子

Aconitum columbianum

Summary ²

Aconitum carmichaelii is a species of flowering plant of the genus Aconitum, family Ranunculaceae. It is native to East Asia and eastern Russia. It is commonly known as Chinese aconite, Carmichael's monkshood or Chinese wolfsbane. In Mandarin Chinese, it is known as fùzǐ (附子; meaning daughter root, or lateral root) and as wūtóu (烏頭;[1] lit. "black head", referring to tuberous mother root, or root tuber); while in Japanese it is named torikabuto (鳥兜; (literally “bird-hat”) after a type of ceremonial phoenix headdress, worn during the shamanic Kagura dance of the miko[2]).

Habitat ³

Aconite likes fresh water, and grows in shady drainage and by creek in moist coniferous forests, often next to Willows or the shaded lower edges of west meadows. M.M

Moist woods to sub-alpine meadows, mostly along streams[60]. Spring-fed bogs, seep areas, meadows, along streams, and in other wet areas at elevations of 300 - 3500 metres[270].. - pfaf

Constituents ³

Aconitine, aconine, iso-, pseudo-, benzoylaconitine, and a bunch of lesser and variable aconite-type steroidal alkaloids, including aconitic, succinic, malonic acids, and so forth.

Collecting ³

The aboveground plant is weaker, and the roots are really nasty; so in my low-tech, sub-medical plant usage I only employ the fresh herb in flower, or the carefully dried flowering tops, leaves and all. Dry herb follow method A, process into coarse sections, and store in a tight jar, protected from light. - M.M

Cultivation ³

Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees[1]. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade[200]. Prefers a calcareous soil. Grows well in open woodlands[1, 4]. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer[233]. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes[54]. Closely related to A. fischeri and part of that species according to some botanists[1]. A very variable plant, there is also a sub-species (A. columbianum viviparum) that produces bulbils in the leaf axils[270]. - pfaf

Stability ³

Preparation ³

時珍曰：附子生用則發散，熟用則峻補。生用者，須如陰製之法，去皮臍入藥。熟用者，以水浸過，炮令發拆，去皮臍，乘熱切片再炒，令內外俱黃，去火毒入藥。又法：每一個，用甘草二錢，鹽水、薑汁、童尿各半盞，同煮熟，出火毒一夜用之，則毒去也。- 本草纲目

Medicinal Uses ³

The drug 'aconite' can be obtained from the root of this plant[212]. It is used as a heart and nerve sedative[212]. This is a very poisonous plant and should only be used with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. - pfaf

The seed is used as a parasiticide[172]. - pfaf

合蔥涕，塞耳治聾（時珍）。 - 本草纲目

Aconitine is also present in Yunnan Baiyao - wikipedia

Contraindications ³

Propagation ³

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame[111]. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate[133]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter. Plant them out in late spring or early summer. Division - best done in spring but it can also be done in autumn[1, 111]. Another report says that division is best carried out in the autumn or late winter because the plants come into growth very early in the year[233]. One to several small daughter tubers are produced at the first few nodes above the parent tuber, usually below ground, in a small percentage of the plants in bulbiferous and nonbulbiferous populations[270]. These can be removed and potted up to produce new plants[K]. Bulbils are produced in the leaf axils of sub-species viviparum[270]. These are an effective means of vegetative reproduction. They fall to the ground late in the season and sprout vigorously, giving rise to new plants[270]. - pfaf

(Fu-zi) Herbaceous perennial native to China. Bears extraordinary flowers on a sturdy plant with highly decorative, deeply lobed leaves, that sends up multiple stalks to about breast high. Flowers in the autumn. Sow seed in the fall. Keep cool to cold, moist and shaded. Sprinkle seeds generously on surface of soil in deep flat or gallon pot, then cover with 1/4 inch of soil, tamp securely and then cover with 2 to 3 inches decomposed leaf mulch and place outside in the cool or cold, moist shade. Germination in the spring. One of the easier Aconites to grow. - strictlymedininalseeds, Aconitum carmichaeli,

Sources and Credits

(c) anonymous, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://eol.org/media/14089688
Adapted by boletus225 from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aconitum_columbianum
(c) boletus225, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)

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