Aconite
Botanical Name: Aconitum napellus, Aconitum anthora, Aconitum anglicum
Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup)
Other Names: Anthora, Auid wives huid, blue rocket, chariot of Venus, cupid's car, dumbledore's delight, faille's cowl, friar's cap, helmet flower, king's coach, monkshood, mousebane, old wife's hood, solier’s cap, storm hat, the queen mother of poisons, thor’s hat, wolfsbane
Habitat: Shady places, pastures, meadows, ditches, woods, mountain
Description: A hardy hairless, perennial, which grows to 60-90cm/2-3ft tall. Root: turnip shaped Stems: strong, un-branched, hairy Dark green and glossy leaves above, whitish underneath. Leaves all the way up the stem, palmate, stalked and divided into 5 segments. Purple or blue flowers 5 petals shaped like helmet in June-August tuberous black root Fruit a follicle with 3-5 seeds
Native to: Europe
Parts Used: Whole plant
Harvesting: Roots should be gathered in Autumn, Washed, trimmed and stored in airtight container. Leaves and flowers-gather in July before the flowers bloom. Seeds-end of august
Constituents: Terpenoid alkaloids including aconitine, aconine, hypaconitine, neopelline, picraconitine, napelline, benzoylaconine, N-desethylaconitine, oxo-aconitine, lappaconitine traces of ephedrine and sparteine
Actions: Sedative
Circulatory muscle joints: Arthritis, gout, rheumatism
Immune: Fevers, uterine cancer
Other Notes: Name possible derived from the Greek “akontion” meaning dart, though Pliny and Theophyatus thought it was derived from the place of origin Napellus and refers to the shape of the root
It could also be named after Aconitus Hill where Cerberus fought Hercules. Cerberus is the many headed dog of hell and from his mouth sprang aconite
Dedicated to St Dunstan
In Roman times it was used as a poison and the death penalty was the punishment for keeping it.
In Greek mythology Medea killed Theseus with aconite and also Hecate poisoned her father with it.
It is said to grow at the gateway to the underworld. It grew at Heracli in Anatolia. It is said to grow where the salvia of Cerberus fell to earth.
The folk name came about after the alleged practise of Anglo-Saxons who used it on their spears when they went wolf hunting
It is used in witches flying ointment as when rubbed onto the skin it causes a sensation of tingling and then numbness. When combined with other narcotic ingredients it may feelings mentally of levitation
Attracts bees
Planet: Saturn Element: Fire
Caution: Highly poisonous (poison mainly concentrated in roots, but all parts poisonous)
Endangered do not collect