Aconitum chasmanthum Stapf ex Holmes.
Family _ Ranunculaceae.
Habitat _ The western Himalayas
from Hazara to Kashmir and Chamba in Himachal Pradesh,
between altitudes of 1000 m
English _ Indian Napellus.
Ayurvedic _ Visha, Shringika-Visha,
Vatsanaabha (related sp.).
Folk _ Mohri, Meethaa Zahar.
Action _ Sedative, antirheumatic,
analgesic, antitussive, antidiarrhoeal.
Ayurvedic Formulary of
India, Part I and Part II, equated
A. chasmanthum with Vatsanaabha.
(See A. ferox.) It has the same uses
as A. ferox. The alkaloid content
of the root ranges
includes chasmaconitine and
chasmanthinine.
Napellus, equated with Aconitum
napellus Linn., is indigenous to Central
Europe (named after the Black sea
port Aconis and known as Wolfsbane,
Monkshood). Aconitum of homoeopathic
medicine is an alkaloid obtained
from the roots and stems of A. nepellus.
Used as an analgesic and sedative. It
contains terpenoids including
aconitine and aconine.
Toxic constituents of A. napellus
are aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine,
a-acetylacoitine, lappaconitine
(diterpenoid-ester alkaloids), benzaconine,
benzoylaconine.
Aconitine, mesaconitine and hypaconitine
exert widespread effects on
cardiac, neural and muscle tissue by
activitating sodium channels. (NaturalMedicines
ComprehensiveDatabase,
Aconitine is absorbed through mucus
membranes and the skin. (Francis
Brinker.) It is a cardiotoxin and
interacts with antiarrhythmics, antihypertensives,
Digoxin/cardiac glycosides.
(Sharon M. Herr.)