6 ACONITUM NAPELLUS 



Aconite root is most active in the winter months and early 

 spring, when the leaves are absent, and it is only at such times 

 that it can be mistaken for that of horseradish ; and it is at such 

 periods also that it is ordered to be collected in the British 

 Pharmacopoeia. When dried, in which state it is alone official, it 

 is distinctly conical in form, 2 or more inches long, and from ^ to 

 1 inch thick at its upper extremity, where it is crowned with the 

 remains of the stem. It is much shrivelled longitudinally, and is 

 more or less covered with the broken rootlets. Externally it 

 has a dark brown colour, and is white or brownish internally; 

 it breaks with a short fracture, the exposed surfaces commonly 

 exhibiting a somewhat mealy character, and are sometimes 

 hollow in the centre. In taste it resembles that of the fresh 

 root. Aconite root is by far the most active part of the plant ; 

 it is said to have six times the strength of the leaves. 



The essential constituent of aconite root is aconitia, which will 

 be described presently ; it is combined with aconitic acid. Three 

 other alkaloids have also been indicated as constituents of aconite 

 root, namely, napelline, aconella, and one which was supposed by 

 Groves to be identical with atisine, an alkaloid discovered by 

 Broughton in Atees, and which is alluded to by us under 

 Aconitum heterophyllum. Napelline was discovered by Hiibsch- 

 mann in 1857, and he afterwards thought it was identical 

 with acolyctine, one of the alkaloids he had found in the root of 

 Aconitum Lycoctonum, L. Napelline is described as a white 

 powder, with a bitter and burning taste, having a strong alkaline 

 reaction ; and readily soluble in water, alcohol, or chloroform, but 

 insoluble in ether. The so-called aconella was discovered by T. 

 and H. Smith, of Edinburgh, in 1864, but they afterwards found 

 it to be identical with narcotia or narcotine, one of the con- 

 stituents of opium. Groves, who has investigated with great care 

 and ability the chemical composition of aconite, was never able to 

 detect aconella in aconite root. The third alkaloid supposed by 

 Groves to be identical with the atisine or atisia of Broughton, is 

 said by Aider Wright to be a new base altogether. It is 

 described as being far less poisonous than aconitia, producing no 



