Herb latin name: Aconitum volubile


Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup Family)



Medicinal use of Aconitum volubile:

The dried root is anaesthetic. It is also used in the same ways as A. napellus, which means that it is anodyne, diaphoretic and diuretic. This is a very poisonous plant and should only be used with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Perennial Climber


Height:
2 m
(6 1/2 foot)

Flowering:
August to
October

Habitat of the herb:

Thickets in the sub-alpine zone to 4000 metres.

Edible parts of Aconitum volubile:

Young leaves - dried and cooked. This report should be treated with great distrust due to the poisonous nature of the genus.

Propagation of the herb:

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. This species is easier from seed than most members of the genus. 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 Aconitum volubile:

Thickets in the sub-alpine zone to 4000 metres.

Known hazards of Aconitum volubile:

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

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.