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- Aconite (Aconitum Napellus):
- translation: cliff or rocky, or Aconae, its supposed place of
origin; little turnip, in allusion to the shape of the
roots.
synonyms: Wolfsbane, Monkshood, Helmet Flower, Mourning Bride,
Blue Rocket, Thor's Hat, Soldier's Cap, Friar's Cap, Auld Wife's
Huid.
definition: misanthropy, treachery, deciet, a deadly foe is
near, chivalry, knight-errantry.
First called thung, a general name
for a poisonous plant, in Anglo-Saxon vocabularies, later it gained the
name Aconite. It was given the name Wolf's Bane because of the idea that
arrows tipped with the juice, or baits annointed with it, would kill
wolves. In the Middle Ages it became known as Monkshood and Helmet
Flower, from the shape of the flower, Monkshood was the ordinary name in
Shakespeare's time. Aconite is applied topically on the skin to diminish
the pain of neuralgia, lumbago and rheumatism. Internally, Aconite
diminishes the rate and force of the pulse in the early stages of fever
and slight local inflammations. It relieves the pain of neuralgia,
pleurisy and aneurism. It has been used with success in cardiac failure
and its prevention, and is also a treatment for acute tonsillitis.
Symptoms of poisoning include tingling, a sensation of ants crawling
over the body, a numbness of tongue and mouth, nausea and vomiting,
laboured breathing, irregular and weak pulse, and cold and clammy skin.
The juice applied to a wounded finger affects the whole system, not only
causing pains in the limbs, but a sense of suffocation and syncope.
Aconite is said to be the invention of Hecate from the foam of Cerberus.
Aconite is also supposed to have been the poison Medea prepared for
Theseus. Aconite and Belladonna were said to be the ingredients in the
witches' "Flying ointments," Aconite causing irregular activity to the
heart, and Belladonna producing delirium, to combine to
give a sensation of flying. Aconite is one of the four classic poisons,
along with Deadly Nightshade, Hemlock, and
Hellebore.
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