ACONITUM 



The minimum lethal dose of fluidextract should not be greater than 0.00004 

 mil for each gramme of body weight of guinea-pig. 



BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS. Stem 3 to 4 feet high, smooth and erect; leaves 

 nearly sessile, alternate, palmately 5-divided; root-leaves long-petioled;./?0;r$ 

 deep violet, irregular, very showy, in racemes; sepals 5, petaloid, the upper 

 one hooded or helmet-shaped; petals 2, concealed. 



FIG. 76. Aconitum Napellus Flowering branch and tuber. 



SOURCE AND VARIETIES. This genus of poisonous herbs, including a 

 number of species, is found throughout cold, mountainous districts 

 of Europe, in the Himalayas, and in Northwestern North America. 

 It is one of the oldest and commonest plants of the English garden, 

 and is often found in dangerous proximity to horseradish (Royle). 

 Hindu writers mention no less than eighteen different kinds of "bish" 

 the vernacular for aconite. Ten of these are said to be unfit for 

 medicinal use on account of their extremely poisonous nature. The 

 root (tuber) of A. napellus is the source of the medicinal preparations 

 of this drug. Nepaul aconite is the source of the extremely active 

 alkaloid, pseudaconitine (see below). A. fischeri produces Japanese 



