Herb latin name: Aconitum ferox


Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)



Medicinal use of Aconitum ferox:

The dried root is alterative, anaesthetic, antiarthritic, deobstruent, diaphoretic, diuretic, sedative, stimulant. It is best harvested in the autumn as soon as the plant dies down. This is a very poisonous plant and should only be used with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner. It has been used in India and Nepal in the treatment of neuralgia, leprosy, fevers, cholera and rheumatism. When the roots are soaked in cow's urine, they become soft and lose their depressant action on the heart, becoming a stimulant instead.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial


Height:
100 cm
(3 1/4 foot)

Flowering:
August to
September

Habitat of the herb:

Shrubberies and forest clearings, 2100 - 3600 metres from C. Nepal to Bhutan.

Propagation of Aconitum ferox:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. The seed can be stratified and sown in spring but will then be slow to germinate. 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. 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.

Cultivation of the herb:

Shrubberies and forest clearings, 2100 - 3600 metres from C. Nepal to Bhutan.

Known hazards of Aconitum ferox:

The whole plant is highly toxic - simple skin contact has caused numbness in some people.

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.