Aconitum ferox

Common Names:

in English: bish poison of Nepal, Indian aconite, monkshood

in India: amrta, amuttam, atis, atis meethi chalu, atish meethi, atisingeeabish, atisingua bish, ativasa, ativasanabhi, ativisa, bacchang, bachhnag, bachnag, bachnak, bikh, bikhma, bikhuma, bis, bis-h, bisfnag, bish, bishnag, butchnat, cattuvam, chandu, cirinkivisam, garala, irulmuka, irulpuka, kalakuta, karu napi, karunaabhi, karunapi, karunapu, karunavi, kat-bish, katbish, kshveda, mahoor, manchria, mansang, marutam, matukaram, mirukapalikai, mitavisam, mitha tilia mudabbir, mitha zahar, mithabish, mithazahar, nabhi, nabi, napam, napi, navi, nyine, paccai navi, paccanavi, piyusmirtam, prativisa, putacarikai, shingadio-vachnag, singya, singya-bis, singyabis, teliya-bis, telyabish, vacanapi, vacanavi, vaccanapi, vaccanvi, vacchang, vachnag, vachhnag kala, vachhnag safed, valsanaabi, valsanabhi, vanavacanam, varcanapi, vasa-nabhi, vasanaavi, vasanabhi, vasanubhi, vasha-navi, vashanabi, vashanavi, vatcanapi, vatsanabha (the root resembling the navel of a child), vatsanabhi, visa, visam, visanapi, visha, vishamavi, vishnanuir, visnanuyir, vitam, vuchnag, zher

in Nepal: bikh, nilo bikh

in Tibetan: bong-nag, gsang-dzim, nag-po bong-nnga, nangdzim, phyi-dzim, sman-chen

  

Scientific Names (Synonym):

Aconitum ferox Wall. ex Ser.

Aconitum ferox subsp. moschatum Brühl

Aconitum ferox var. laciniatum Brühl

Aconitum ferox var. leucanthum Brühl

Aconitum ferox var. naviculare Brühl

Aconitum ferox subsp. palmatum (D.Don) Brühl

Aconitum ferox var. spicatum Brühl

Floral Description:

According to Flora of Pakistan

• Biennial with 2 tubers.
• Stem (l5-)25-70(-90) cm high, simple or with a few branches in the lower part, glabrous with a few very short crispate hairs above. Lower most leaves with long petioles, orbicular-cordate to ovate-cordate in outline, usually deeply 5-lobed with crenate lobes, the others with short petioles or sessile, semi-amplexicaul, irregularly crenate-dentate, rarely lobate.
• Inflorescence a loose raceme, rarely subpaniculate. Lower bracts similar to upper leaves, the others ovate to lanceolate, crenate or entire. In the longer peduncles the bracteoles are elliptical or usually entire.
• Sepals blue to violet, glabrous. Lateral sepals obliquely obovate with dark tips, 14-20 x 12-20 mm, not stipitate, lower ones narrower.
• Petals (nectaries) with a long (16-18 mm) claw and short (4 mm) very wide hood, lobed or entire.
• Filaments winged above the middle, 6-8 mm long.
• Carpels 5, oblong-elliptical, pubescent, abruptly contracted to the style of about equal length.
• Follicles straight, 16-18 mm, glabrescent or glabrous.
• Seeds obpyramidate, 3-4 mm long with almost winged angles.

According to Flora of China:

• Caudex carrot-shaped or fusiform, small, 0.8--1.5 cm.
• Stem 5--30(--45) cm tall, simple or basally branched, basally glabrous, apically sparsely retrorse and appressed pubescent.
• Basal leaves long petiolate; petiole 2.5--14 cm, glabrous, base without distinct sheath; leaf blade reniform-pentagonal or reniform, 1--2 × 1.4--3 cm, abaxially glabrous, adaxially sparsely pubescent, 3-parted nearly to middle; central lobe rhombic-obtrapezoid; lateral lobes obliquely flabellate, unequally 2-fid nearly to middle.
• Cauline leaves 1--3, shortly petiolate.
• Inflorescence 1--5-flowered; rachis and pedicels retrorse pubescent; proximal bracts leaflike, others linear.
• Proximal pedicels 2.5--6 cm, distal ones ca. 2 cm, with 2 distal bracteoles or bordering flower, bracteoles linear, 6--7 × 0.5--1 mm.
• Sepals violet or purple, abaxially sparsely pubescent; lower sepals ca. 1 cm; lateral sepals ca. 1.6 cm; upper sepal navicular, ca. 1.6 cm from base to beak, lower margin slightly concave or suberect. Petals glabrous; claw slender; limb small, ca. 2.5 mm; lip ca. 1.5 mm, slightly concave; spur ± headlike, ca. 1 mm, slightly concave.
• Stamens sparsely pubescent; filaments sparsely pubescent, entire or 2-denticulate.
• Carpels 5, sparsely pubescent.
• Follicles 1--1.2 cm.
• Seeds obpyramidal, ca. 2 mm.

Pharmacology:

Roots poisonous, used as poison to kill a person and for arrow poisoning; sedative, antidote to lethal poison, alterative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, used in leprosy, cholera, body pain and rheumatism, fevers; dried root powdered and taken orally to relieve fever and pain; root decoction given for the treatment of mad dog bite.