ACONITE
History:
A. napellus contains several poisonous compounds, including enough cardiac poison that it was used on spears and arrows for hunting and battle in ancient times. It has a long history of use as a poison, with cases going back thousands of years. During the ancient Roman period of European history, the plant was often used to eliminate criminals and enemies and by the end of the period it was banned and anyone growing it could have been legally sentenced to death. Aconites have been used more recently in murder plots since they contain the chemicals alkaloids aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine and jesaconitine, which are highly toxic.Aconite has long been considered as one of the most poisonous plants, but its use as medicine in Ayurvedic system of medicines since time immemorial after proper treatment called Shodhana. They are used in case of arthritis, inflammation, heart disease, fever, neuralgia, externally in the form of liniment or ointment to reduce pain and inflammation in muscles and joints. In Tibetan medicine where aconite is considered an important herb, is referred as the king of medicine. Acoite is a fast acting poison, having very small dose cause numbness of lips, tongue, followed by vomitting even death also reported by taking aconite containing medicines
Macroscopic characters:
· Roots are dark brown in colour with a slight odour.
· It has slight taste which causes tingling sensation followed by numbness of tongue.
· They are 4-10 cm in length and 1-3.5 cm in width.
· The fracture is short and horney.
· The roots are slight twisted and deeply wrinkled.
· The broader end of the roots bears numerous rootlets and scars.
The fairly numerous sclereids, which occur singly with associated thin-walled parenchyma or, occasionally, in small groups; they are large, vary from oval to square to sub-rectangular in outline and have moderately thickened, pitted walls and a large lumen. Occasional fibrous sclereids occur, derived from the stem bases; these are considerably elongated, rectangular cells, bluntended with moderately thickened walls and numerous pits.
The abundant parenchyma of the cortex and stele. The cells are fairly large and vary from rounded to elongated rectangular in outline; the walls are sometimes quite markedly thickened and are frequently somewhat uneven; they have few, indistinct pits. The cells are filled with starch granules.
The fragments of the outer layer , dark brown to almost black in colour; in surface view the cells appear sub-rectangular with moderately thickened walls; they are rather unevenly pigmented. The vessels, which are fairly large and are found singly or in small groups; the walls are lignified and have numerous slit-shaped pits with indistinct borders. A few vessels also occur with reticulate, spiral or annular thickening.
The occasional fibres from the stem bases; they are lignified, rather thin-walled, and have numerous well-marked pits.
Chemical constituents: Aconitine, Aconine, hypaconitine, neopelline, neoline and traces of sparteine & ephedrine.
R1
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R2
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Compound
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OCOC6H5
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OCOCH3
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Aconitine
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OH
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OH
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Aconine
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Uses:
·Aconite is used externally in the treatment of neuralgia, sciatica, rheumatism and inflammation.
·It is also analgesic and cardiac depressant.
Substituents:Japanese aconite A. unicinatum,Indian aconite A. chasmanthum.
Synonyms: Aconite root, Monkshood, Bachaag
Biological source: Dried root of Aconitum napellus Linn. belonging to family Ranunculaceae.
Geographical source: Aconite is found in Hungary, Germany, Spain and Switzerland. It is cultivated in England and India. It is native to Asia and North America.
Cultivation and collection: Aconite prefers a soil slightly retentive of moisture, such as a moist loam, and flourishes best in shade. It would probably grow luxuriantly in a moist, open wood, and would yield returns with little further trouble than weeding, digging up and drying. In preparing beds for growing Aconite, the soil should be well dug and pulverized by early winter frosts - the digging in of rotten leaves or stable manure is advantageous.It can be raised from seed, sown 1/2 inch deep in a cold frame in March, or in a warm position outside in April. It takes two or three years to flower from seed.Propagation is usually by division of roots in the autumn. The underground portion of the plants are dug up after the stem has died down, and the smaller of the 'daughter' roots that have developed at the side of the old roots are selected for replanting in December or January to form new stock, the young roots being planted about a foot apart each way. The young shoots appear above ground in February. Although the plants are perennial, each distinct root lasts only one year, the plant being continued by 'daughter' roots. The roots should be collected in the autumn, after the stem dies down, but before the bud that is to produce the next year's stem has begun to develop.
Microscopic characters:The abundant starch granules, which are simple and spherical or compound with two, three, four or occasionally up to six components; some of the larger granules show a radiate or slit-shaped hilum.
