Aconitum chasmanthum
Stapfex Holmes.
Family Ran unculaceae.
Habitat The western Himalayas from Hazara to Kashmir and Chamba in Himachal Pradesh, between altitudes of 2,100 m and 3,600 m.
English Indian Napellus.
Ayurvedic Visha, Shringika-Visha, Vatsanaabha (related sp.).
Folk Mohri, Meethaa Zahar.
Action Sedative, antirheumatic, analgesic, antitussive, antidiarrhoeal. Ayurvedic Form ulary 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 from 2.98 to 3.11%; 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 up to 1.2%, including aconitine and aconine.
Toxic constituents of A. napellus are aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine, 3-acetylacoitine, lappaconitine (diterpenoid-ester alkaloids), benzaconine, benzoylaconine.
Aconitine, mesaconitine and hypaconitine exert widespread effects on cardiac, neural and muscle tissue by activitating sodium channels. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)
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.)
Dosage Root—10—15 mg powder. (CCRAS.)
