25. Aconitum lethale, Griff.

The medicinal plant Aconitum lethale is a member of the Ranunculaceae (buttercup) family. This page includes its habitat, botanical descption, medicinal uses (eg., Ayurveda), chemical constituents and history of use in modern and ancient India.

Index in Flora of British India (Hooker): 1. 28.

Synonyms:—A. palmatum, Don.

Vernacular name:—Unknown.

Habitat:—Higher parts of Mishmi Mountains.

Botanical description:—Roots: (according to Griffith) fusiform, whitish or brown, bearing root-fibres.

Stem: branched, flexuous, slender, terete, glabrous on the uppermost part, pubescent from minute adpressed reversed hairs.

Basal leaves: unknown; intermediate and upper leaves scattered, petioled; petioles slender, up to 5 cm. long; blades shining, bright green above, pale below, glabrous or scantily pubescent in the nerves below, cordate, rotundate in outline, with a wide sinus or reniform, 3-partite to ⅚ (or the small leaves of the branches 5-lobed to the middle), intermediate divisions narrow, obovate-cuneate, almost 5 cm. long, up to 1.8 cm. broad, lateral divisions trapezoid, up to 3.5 cm. long, unequally divaricate-2-lobed to the middle, all coarsely dentate, teeth apiculate.

Inflorescence: slightly pubescent; panicle few-flowered, says Hooker.

Flowers: large, greenish-blue (Hooker); bracts foliaceous 3-lobed, lobes sparingly dentate; pedicels long, more or less reduced, near the flower.

Sepals: slightly pubescent, uppermost helmet-shaped, helmet semi-orbicular elliptic in profile, 18-20 mm. high, 18-20 mm. from tip to base, 12 mm. broad, lateral oblique, orbicular-ovate, shortly and broadly clawed up to 16 mm. long, 10-12 mm. broad; lower deflexed, broad elliptic sub-obtuse, up to 16 mm. long.

Nectaries: glabrous, claw erect, oblong, shortly spurred from the top, 6 mm. long, lip broad, 2-lobed.

Filaments: glabrous, 8-9 mm. long, winged to or beyond the middle, wings gradually or suddenly contracted.

Carpels: 5, obliquely oblong, sparingly pubescent (Stapf).

Follicles: 1-1½ in. long, glabrous (Hooker). Testa plaited (Hooker).

Medicinal properties and uses:—This is, according to Griffith, the source of the celebrated Bhi or Bis poison of the Mishmis.

Also see notes on the pharmacology of indaconitine and Bikh aconitine.