Description: Aconite is a leafy, hardy perennial, with dark green, glossy deeply cut leaves. The stem stands from two to four feet high, and the root is fleshy and spindle-shaped, pale-colored when the plant is young, but gaining a dark brown skin as the plant ages. The flowers bloom in erect clusters and form a hood-like shape which attracts pollenators. Their color varies from season to season, sometimes appearing dark blue, yet in succeeding turns becoming pale violet or almost white. The level of water in the area also contributes to the flower color - the more water the plant is receiving, the paler the flowers' coloring.

Habitat and Cultivation: Aconite prefers a moist soil and flourishes best in shade, and prefers moist, open woods. It can grow wild along river banks and water courses. Aconite can be raised from seed, which takes two to three turns to gain a flowering plant. The usual propogation of aconite is by division of roots in the autumn. Once the stem has died down, the smallest 'daughter' roots are divided from the main rootstock for replanting in winter to form new stock. The young roots are planted about a foot apart, and the young shoots appear above ground as winter ends.

Collection: The leaves, stem, flowering tops, and root are used medicinally, the leaves and tops fresh, the root dries. The flowering tops and leaves are best harvested when the flowers are just blossoming in early summer. The root should be collected in the autumn, after the stem dies down, but before the bud that will produce next turn's stem has appeared. Do not harvest the 'parent' root, only the smaller 'daughter' roots. The smallest are usually reserved for replanting, the larger for medicinal use. Aconite should never be harvested before the plant's second turn.

Preparation: First dry the roots in the open air, spread thinly with the roots not touching. One method is to spread them on shelves in a warm place for about 3 sevendays, turning frequently. Drying is not complete until the roots are so dry and brittle they snap when bent. A dried root will be about 3/4 inch in diameter, dark brown in color, and scarred by rootlets. Surface is wrinkled, and the inside should be whitish and starchy. It should be kept in securly closed vessels after drying, as insect infestation may occur.

Healer use: Root is powdered for medicinal use. Through careful distillation, the root makes a powerful pain reliever useful for severely painful conditions. The tincture taken internally diminishes the increased pulserate brought on by early stages of fever and local inflamations such as penumonia and feverish colds. As a liniment, it is quite useful in the treatment of several types of neuralgia and rheumatism. It has also been used successfully to treat heart failure. Aconite slows the heart, decreases blood pressure, induces sweating, and reduces inflammation. (Anodyne, diuretic, and diaphoretic.)

Special Notes: This herb should not be gathered or used by anybody less than a Senior Journeyman Healer. Aconite is highly poisonous, especially if applied to an open wound. Use care in handling it all all times, even when cutting the flowers. Even when properly prepared, dosages should be carefully measured. Aconite can be fatal to herdbeasts and goats if eaten, so should be kept well-fenced when grown for medicinal uses at farmholds, and children kept well away from such fields.

In case of poisoning by Aconite, about a candlemark after eating, the patient will suffer symptoms of tingling and numbness of tongue and mouth, a sensation of insects crawling all over the body, nausea, vomiting, labored breathing, irregular and weak pulse, cold and clammy skin, giddiness, staggering, and convulsions. A emetic should be used at once to induce vomiting and stimulants and foxglove administered. The patient should be kept lying down. Depending on the amount injested, death can occur within three candlemarks of ingestion if not properly treated, and no treatment is guaranteed to succeed.



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