Aconitum napellus: Scientific Description and pharmacological activities

Common Names:

in English: aconite, bear’s-foot, friar’s-cap, garden monk’shood, garden wolf-bane, helmut-flower, Indian aconite, monk’s hood, monkshood, soldier’s-cap, Turk’s-cap, wolf’s bane

in Brazil: capacete-de-jupiter, capuchon, capuz-de-frade, carro-de-venus, madriette, mata-lobos

in India: amrta, athivasa, atis nepali, bachnaag, bachnag, bachnanak, barmalees, bas, beesh, bheesh, cimainapi, circatacceti, kat-bish, meetha, mithabish, mithavis, mithazahar, naabhi, nabhi, napi, shingadio-vachnag, telyabish, vachhanag, vachnaag, vachnaag krishna, vachnaag shveth, vachnag, vasanaabhi, vasanabhi, vasanavi, vasanumbhi, vashanavi, vatsanaba, vatsanabha, vatsanabhi, vatsnabhi, visa, visha, vistsanabhah

in Tibet: bi a, btsan dug, dzim-pa, dzin-pa dkar-po, nag po, ra-dug

Scientific Names (Synonyms)

Aconitum napellus L.

Aconitum napellus Pall.

Aconitum napellus Thunb.

Aconitum napellus f. abnorme Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. acaule Finet & Gagnep.

Aconitum napellus f. albidum (Bernh. ex Rchb.) Gáyer

Aconitum napellus var. alpinum Regel

Aconitum napellus f. amoenum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. babiogorense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus f. babiogorense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus f. carpaticum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus subsp. castellanum Molero & C.Blanché

Aconitum napellus subsp. corsicum (Gáyer) W.Seitz

Aconitum napellus var. cymbulatum Schmalh.

Aconitum napellus f. czarnohorense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. delphinifolium (DC.) Regel

Aconitum napellus var. delphinifolium Ser.

Aconitum napellus subsp. firmum (Rchb.) Gáyer

Aconitum napellus var. firmum (Rchb.) Pawł.

Aconitum napellus subsp. fissurae (Nyár.) W.Seitz

Aconitum napellus subsp. fissurae Seitz

Aconitum napellus var. flagellare F.Schmidt

Aconitum napellus subsp. formosum (Rchb.) Gáyer

Aconitum napellus f. glabratum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus subsp. hians (Rchb.) Gáyer

Aconitum napellus f. hoverlanum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus subsp. koelleanum (Rchb.) Mucher

Aconitum napellus f. latisectum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. laxum Regel

Aconitum napellus subsp. lobelii Mucher

Aconitum napellus subsp. lusitanicum Rouy

Aconitum napellus var. nanum Baumg.

Aconitum napellus subsp. nanum Baumg.

Aconitum napellus subsp. neomontanum (Wulfen) Gáyer

Aconitum napellus var. paniculatum Regel

Aconitum napellus var. polyanthum Finet & Gagnep.

Aconitum napellus f. puberulum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. racemosum Regel

Aconitum napellus var. refractum Finet & Gagnep.

Aconitum napellus var. rigidum Hook.f. & Thomson

Aconitum napellus f. rodnense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. rotundifolium (Kar. & Kir.) Hook.f. & Thomson

Aconitum napellus var. semigaleatum (Pall. ex Rchb.) Ser.

Aconitum napellus var. sessiliflorum Finet & Gagnep.

Aconitum napellus var. silesiacum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus subsp. skerisorae (Gáyer) W.Seitz

Aconitum napellus var. splendens (Font Quer) O.Bolòs & Vigo

Aconitum napellus f. subfissum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus f. subtatrense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. subtatrense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus subsp. superbum (Fritsch) W.Seitz

Aconitum napellus var. tatrense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus f. taurericum (Rchb.) Gáyer

Aconitum napellus subsp. tauricum (Wulfen) Gáyer

Aconitum napellus f. tenuisectum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus var. turkestanicum B.Fedtsch.

Aconitum napellus f. turkulense Zapał.

Aconitum napellus f. vestitum Zapał.

Aconitum napellus subsp. vulgare (DC.) Rouy & Foucaud

Description:

According to Flora of Pakistan

• Stems 30-60(-90) cm tall leafy.
• Leaves ± regularly distributed, the upper leaves only slightly smaller than the lower ones.
• Racemes up to 30 cm long or longer. Sepals blue or white with blue veins, rarely pale purple, crisp-pubescent to glabrous, lateral ones suborbicular to nearly square, not contiguous with helmet.
• Claw of petals 5-7 mm.
•  Filaments often almost glabrous, winged, wings not ending in tiny teeth.
• Carpels generally 5, straight, glabrous or with a few hairs along the back and near the style, sometimes hairy.
• Follicles oblong, 10-16 mm, truncate.
• Seeds with unequal wings.

Phytochemicals from Aconitum napellus and its related species:

cis-Aconitic acid, Aconitine, Hypaconitine, Karakoline, Mesaconitine, Luciculine, Bullatine G, Quercetin 7-O-(6-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1->3)-alpha-rhamnopyranoside-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside, Kaempferol 7-O-(6-trans-caffeoyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1->3)-alpha-rhamnopyranoside-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside, Kaempferol 7-O-(6-trans-p-coumaroyl)-beta-glucopyranosyl-(1->3)-alpha-rhamnopyranoside-3-O-beta-glucopyranoside, Kaempferol 3-(6'''-(E)-p-coumaroylglucosyl)-(1->2)-glucoside-7-rhamnoside, Quercetin 3-(6''-(E)-p-coumaroylsophoroside)-7-rhamnoside, 12-epi-Acetyldehydronapelline, 12-epi-Napelline, Songoramine, 12-epi-Dehydronapelline, Leroyine, Neoline, Isotalatizidine, Senbusine A, Virescenine.

v

Pharmacological activity

Whole plant highlytoxic, contains poisonous alkaloids, toxic in humans when accidentally ingested, root contains more poison than the leaves; applied externally to unbroken skin in the treatment of rheumatism, painful bruises, neuralgia. Roots analgesic, anodyne, antirheumatic, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, irritant, sedative, antidote to poisoning; used in the treatment of fevers, inflammation, bronchitis, neuralgia.