Aconitum; also known as aconite, monkshood, wolfsbane, leopard's bane, devil's helmet, or blue rocket, is a genus of over 250 species of flowering plants belonging to the family Ranunculaceae. They are native to the Northern hemisphere in Asia, North America, and Europe. they are often large blue, purple, white, yellow, or pink symmetrical flowers. Wolfsbane fares well in moisture retentive soils where they can grow in partial shade.
All parts of the plants are poisonous; containing an alkaloid called Aconite which will disable nerves, lower the blood pressure and potentially stop the heart. Mild toxicity (headache, nausea and palpitations) may be experienced from skin contact. feeling numb in the face is common in reports of mild toxicity. With large doses death is almost instantaneous, and usually occurs within 2 to 6 hours of poisoning. The initial signs are gastrointestinal - nausea, vomiting, burning int the abdomen, and followed by burning, tingling and numbness in the mouth and face. In severe poisonings there will be extreme motor weakness and the numb/burning sensations will spread to limbs. There may also be sweating, difficulty breathing, and confusion. In cases where the poisoned person died it is usually a ventricular arrythmia or paralysis of the heart.
Patients require support and close monitoring of blood pressure & cardiac rhythm. If the wolfsbane was consumed within one hour activated charcoal can be given to stop gastrointestinal contamination. There is also treatments for the heart issues caused (lidocaine, atropine, procainamide etc.)
Some species of Aconite are endangered or vulnerable due to its collection for herbal medicine. It is often used in hunting; some were used as arrow poison, put on bullets in ww2, and on bait in ancient times.
In April 2021, the president of Kyrgyzstan claimed it [aconite root] to be a remedy for Covid 19 however this was obviously false and four people were admitted to hospital.
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