ACONITUM NAPELLUS: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITATS, USES AND EFFECTS - BIOLOGY - 2025

Aconitum napellus, also known as aconite, napelo, jupiter's helmet, venus chariot, blue-flowered wolfsbane or blue anapelo, is a perennial herbaceous species belonging to the Ranunculaceae family. This plant is used as a medicinal product, despite having high levels of toxicity that can be fatal.

The origin of its name "aconite" is very controversial, as several theories are documented. Among these, the authors such as Pliny the Elder and Theophrastus have been widely accepted, who indicated that the name derived from a port in Asia Minor, called Acona.

Aconitum napellus L. plant Source: pixabay.com

Others related it to the word "akontion" (dart), due to the use that the barbarian peoples used to poison their arrows with its toxin. In turn, some believe that due to its growth among rocks, they related it to the Greek "akon" which means "made of stone or rock."

Now, in relation to the word Napellus (little turnip), it refers to the shape of the root.

characteristics

Habit

Aconite is a perennial herbaceous plant.

Height

You can find plants with heights between 0.8 to 1.5 meters.

Root

This is characterized by being axomorphic, fleshy, branched into tubers up to 15 cm long, presenting a turnip shape, with numerous radicles. Its color is brown (pale when young and dark when aging).

Stem

It has a simple and erect stem, up to 1 meter or more in height. It is cylindrical green in color.

Leaves

They are petiolate, shiny, dark green on the upper side, and lighter green on the underside of the leaf (lower side). They are also alternate and webbed.

Aconitum napellus L. leaf Source: Frank Vincentz

Flower

They are hermaphrodites and have a very striking blue or dark violet color. They measure 3 to 4 cm in diameter and are composed of 5 petaloid sepals. Its upper petal has a curved hood shape with two staminoid nectarifers, which are enclosed within the hood-shaped segment.

It has many stamens, and its gynoecium is comprised of separate leaves, generally with 3 pistils, an ovary with 3 - 5 free carpels, slightly welded on the inside.

Aconitum napellus L. flower Source: Exduria2006

Inflorescence

This is unbranched or slightly branched at the base. Clustered with short dense hairs and, in some cases, glabrous.

Inflorescence of Aconitum napellus L. Source: Wildfeuer

Fruit

It is composed of several follicles or capsular sheaths, between 3 or 4, glabrous that ends in a short bristle approximately 17 mm long.

Seed

Its seeds are numerous, wrinkled in texture, flattened, 3 to 5 mm long. They are brown, black and shiny when ripe.

Aconitum napellus L. seeds Source: Frank Vincentz

Taxonomy

Among the most well-known common names we find: aconite, common monkshood, common monkshood, napelo monkshood, wolfsbane monkshood, blue-flowered anapelo, Jupiter's helmet, blue-flowered wolfsbane, nabillo, tora blava, vedegambre.

Its taxonomic description is as follows:

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Tracheophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Ranunculales

Family: Ranunculaceae

Genus: Aconitum

Species: Aconitum napellus L.

Habitat and distribution

Aconite is of European origin, being distributed in central and eastern Europe. It is generally present in mountainous and humid forests, areas of partial shade and on the banks of water courses.

Likewise, it is a plant that requires clay and siliceous soils, it can even be found in calcareous soils with neutral pH. It is important for this species altimetry ranges between 500 to 2700 meters above sea level, as well as the presence of humidity and nitrogen in the soils.

Applications

Despite being a highly toxic species, aconite is used for medicinal and ornamental purposes.

Medicinal

In several countries, where its use is not prohibited, the root and leaves of this plant are used as drugs for: the treatment of colds, diphtheria, analgesic for pain, eye damage, sudden fever, irritation of the bladder or to prevent infection. It is also used as an aid in states of shock.

Ornamental

Due to its striking color and its very peculiar shape, this species is widely cultivated in gardens and commercialized for this purpose.

Aconitum napellus flower. Source: Frank Vincentz

Toxicity

It is important to note that aconite is a highly toxic plant. This is because it has between 0.2 and 1.2% alkaloids in its interior, mainly aconitine. This substance is mainly lodged in the roots (they contain 90% more toxins than the leaves), but it is found throughout the plant, including the seeds.

Among the chemical compounds present in this plant are: aconitine, nepalese, indaconitin, mesaconitin, delphinin, hypaconitin, malic acid, aconitic acid and acetic acid.

It is also important to point out that anthropine and strophanthin are antidotes that can be used in an emergency, in the event of intoxication and poisoning with this species.

Due to its high toxicity, in many countries the consumption, commercialization and sale of this species is prohibited.

Active ingredients and components

Among the main ones are the following:

- Oxalic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid and citric acid.

- Resin, inositol, fats, water, minerals, glycosides.

- Alkaloids: aconitine (80%), aconitine, mesaconitine, psudoconitin and lycaconitin.

Symptoms and effects

It is necessary to bear in mind that the symptoms appear after half an hour of having ingested the plant or of its bad handling.

However, in people, these alkaloids act on the nerve centers, causing paralysis; just as it affects the heart system, lowering blood pressure, thus hindering circulation.

These effects are manifested either by bad handling, rubbing with the plant or by ingesting it.

Among the most common symptoms of poisoning with this plant are the following: vomiting, irritation and burning of the tongue, abdominal pain, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, low body temperatures, tingling in the face, skin contraction, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears, loss of sensation, or feeling anxious.

Now, this plant can be fatal, depending on the amount of intake and the time elapsed without medical assistance. It is estimated that amounts even less than 6 mg can be fatal for an adult man.

As for handling, this can be done as long as gloves are used and these are subsequently discarded.

References

1. Catalog of Life: 2019 Annual Checklist. 2019. Aconitum napellus L. Taken from: catalogueoflife.org
2. Daniel M. 2016. Medicinal plants: chemistry and properties. CRC press.
3. Jalas J. 1985. Atlas florea Europaeae notes.New nomenclatural combination in Dianthus and Aconitum. Ann. Bot. Fennici 22: 219-221. 1985
4. Novikoff A. & Mitka J. 2011. Taxonomy and ecology of the genus Aconitum L. in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Wulfenia 18 37-61. 2011.
5. Orvos P., Virág L., Tálosi L., Hajdú Z., Csupor D., Jedlinszki, N. and Hohmann J. 2015. Effects of Chelidonium majus extracts and major alkaloids on hERG potassium channels and on dog cardiac action potential-a safety approach. Phytotherapy, 100, 156-165.
6. Tai J., El-Shazly M., Wu, Y., Lee T., Csupor D., Hohmann J. and Wu C. 2015. Clinical aspects of Aconitum preparations. Medical plant, 81 (12/13), 1017-1028.