| Aconitum carmichaelii | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Division: | Magnoliophyta |
| Class: | Magnoliopsida |
| Order: | Ranunculales |
| Family: | Ranunculaceae |
| Genus: | Aconitum |
| Species: | A. carmichaelii |
| Binomial name | |
| Aconitum carmichaelii Debeaux |
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Aconitum carmichaelii is a flowering plant species native to East Asia, particularly in China and Japan. It is commonly known as Chinese Aconite, Carmichael's Monkshood and Chinese Wolfsbane (Chinese: 烏頭附子; pinyin: Wu-tou Fu-zi) (Japanese: 鳥兜 or トリカブト, Torikabuto). It is known in Mandarin as Fu Zi (meaning daughter root, or lateral root) and as Wu Tou (meaning tuberous mother root, or root tuber).
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All parts of this plant are extremely toxic, [1] and has historically been used as a poison on arrows.[2] It is sometimes used topically in Dit Da Jow liniment. If not prepared properly by a trained person, aconitum can be deadly when taken internally.
It is considered a medicinal herb in traditional Chinese medicine and the root is most commonly used to restore yang and expel cold, for increasing blood flow, vasodilatation, hypertension, anti-inflammation, analgesic, and sedative and immunostimulation.
The LD50 of aconite in mice was 0.295 mg/kg SI, and that of the prepared decoction is 17.42 g/k. A lethal dose of aconitine is 3–4 mg.