Root tubers are the commercial products Propagated by seeds and the daughter root. Collected when flowers begin to expand, the alkaloid content in the roots and tubers are found to be in highest concentration at the flowering seasons. Roots and tubers are sliced longitudinally or transversely to facilitate drying. The drying period ranges from 10 days to 3 weeks. Storage: dry containers do not expose to light the active constituents may be decomposed due to due action of light.Root tubers are the commercial products Propagated by seeds and the daughter root. Collected when flowers begin to expand, the alkaloid content in the roots and tubers are found to be in highest concentration at the flowering seasons. Roots and tubers are sliced longitudinally or transversely to facilitate drying. The drying period ranges from 10 days to 3 weeks. Storage: dry containers do not expose to light the active constituents may be decomposed due to due action of light.Root tubers are the commercial products Propagated by seeds and the daughter root. Collected when flowers begin to expand, the alkaloid content in the roots and tubers are found to be in highest concentration at the flowering seasons. Roots and tubers are sliced longitudinally or transversely to facilitate drying. The drying period ranges from 10 days to 3 weeks. Storage: dry containers do not expose to light the active constituents may be decomposed due to due action of light.Root tubers are the commercial products Propagated by seeds and the daughter root. Collected when flowers begin to expand, the alkaloid content in the roots and tubers are found to be in highest concentration at the flowering seasons. Roots and tubers are sliced longitudinally or transversely to facilitate drying. The drying period ranges from 10 days to 3 weeks. Storage: dry containers do not expose to light the active constituents may be decomposed due to due action of light. Root tubers are the commercial products Propagated by seeds and the daughter root. Collected when flowers begin to expand, the alkaloid content in the roots and tubers are found to be in highest concentration at the flowering seasons. Roots and tubers are sliced longitudinally or transversely to facilitate drying. The drying period ranges from 10 days to 3 weeks. Storage: dry containers do not expose to light the active constituents may be decomposed due to due action of light. Root tubers are the commercial products Propagated by seeds and the daughter root. Collected when flowers begin to expand, the alkaloid content in the roots and tubers are found to be in highest concentration at the flowering seasons. Roots and tubers are sliced longitudinally or transversely to facilitate drying. The drying period ranges from 10 days to 3 weeks. Storage: dry containers do not expose to light the active constituents may be decomposed due to due action of light. Root tubers are the commercial products Propagated by seeds and the daughter root. Collected when

1. Aconitum spicatum (Bikh)
• Botanical Name: Aconitum spicatum
• Synonyms: Aconitum ferox
• Family: Ranunculaceae
• Common Names:
– Hindi: Meetha Vatsnabh
– Sanskrit: Vatsanabha
– English: Monkshood, Indian Aconite
– Nepali: Bikh, Bikhma, Bonakarpo

2. Aconitum spicatum (Bikh)
• Aconitum, also known as aconite, monkshood, wolf’s bane, leopard’s bane, mousebane, women's bane, devil's helmet, Queen of all Poisons or blue
rocket
Common substitute and adulterants
• A. heterophyllum
• A. ferox
• Delphenium

3. Habitat
• Grows in the alpine and subalpine regions of the Himalayas, at elevations of
2500–4000 meters.
• Found in Nepal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bhutan, and Tibet.
• Thrives in moist, shaded forest slopes and meadows.

4. Cultivation and Collection
• Cultivation:
– Grown in cold temperate climates.
– Prefers well-drained, humus-rich soils.
– Propagated by seeds or tuberous root cuttings.
– Requires 3–5 years for maturity.
• Collection:
– Tuberous roots are harvested in autumn (October–November).
– Roots are detoxified before medicinal use (important due to toxicity).
– Collected material is dried carefully in shade.

5. Cultivation and Collection
• Root tubers are the commercial products
• Propagated by seeds and the daughter root.
• Collected when flowers begin to expand, the alkaloid content in the roots and tubers
are found to be in highest concentration at the flowering seasons.
• Roots and tubers are sliced longitudinally or transversely to facilitate drying. The
drying period ranges from 10 days to 3 weeks.
• Storage: dry containers do not expose to light the active constituents may be
decomposed due to due action of light.

6. Chemical Nature of Chief Constituents
• Diterpenoid Alkaloids (highly toxic, potent):
– Aconitine
– Spicatine
– Aconine
– Mesaconitine
– Pseudoaconitine
• Others:
– Atisine (less toxic)
– Benzoylaconine
• These alkaloids are responsible for neurotoxic and cardiotoxic as well as therapeutic
effects.

9. Quality Standards
Foreign matter: NMT 2%
Total moisture content: 18.26%
Total ash: NMT 4%
Acid insoluble ash: NMT 1%

10. Adulteration and Detection
• Common Adulterants:
– Aconitum heterophyllum (Ativisha – a less toxic species)
– Other wild Aconitum spp.
• Detection Methods:
Microscopy of root structure
Chemical tests (e.g., Dragendorff’s reagent for alkaloids)
HPTLC/HPLC for detection of aconitine, atisine
Toxicity assays
DNA barcoding for correct species identification

11. Macroscopic
• Color: blackish –brown sometimes whitish
• Odor: oderlesss or feeble earthy odor
• Taste: slightly bitter taste, followed by peculiar sense
of numbness and tingling sensation in the lips cheeks
and tongue
Conical- shaped, tapering root, seldom
exceeding 10 cm. in length and 2 cm. in
thickness near the summit, brownish externally,
whitish and fleshy within, and sending forth
numerous long, thick, fleshy rootlets.

12. Microscopic
• Transverse section of mature tuber shows single layered epidermis consisting of
light tubular compressed cells with cork rupturing.
• Cortex consists of 8-15 rows of round, thin walled parenchymatous cells containing
both simple and compound starch grains bundles arranged in ring with
characteristics more or less star shaped cambium ring.
• Pith composed of large, starch – bearing parenchyma cells as in cortex and central
position of the tuber is fissured.
• In young roots, the vascular bundles are nearer the centre than in old ones.
• Parenchyma cells filled with compound starch granules.

13. Powdered microscopy
• The powdered drug is grayish brown with numerous simple and compound starch
grains of spherical or plano – convex shape.
• The size is 0.003 -0.0015 mm. Few cork fragments and parenchymus cells are present.
Microscopic
• A few slightly brownish, essentially rectangular only slightly elongated, rather thin-
walled, very porous sclerenchyma cells, which generally occur singly, rarely in
twos. Some porus ducts and tracheids; spiral ducts rare. Starch granules singly, in
twos, fours, and aggregates of from five to seven; hili distinct in the larger granules,
centric; single granules 5μ to 15μ; cross bands quite distinct, broad, right angled.
There should be no thick-walled sclerenchyma, no true bast, and vascular tissue
should be sparingly present.

14. Pharmacological Action
• Analgesic (pain-relieving)
• Antipyretic (fever-reducing)
• Anti-inflammatory
• Sedative
• Cardiotonic (in very small, controlled doses)
• Local anesthetic
• Used in traditional medicine only after detoxification due to high toxicity.
• Raw aconite is extremely poisonous and must be processed (‘shodhana’) in
traditional systems before use.

15. Categories and Common Uses
Category
– Used as a detoxified narcotic, painkiller, anti-inflammatory and febrifuge in Ayurvedic,
Unani, and Tibetan medicine.
Common Uses
– Rheumatism, neuralgia, gout
– Fever and inflammation
– Respiratory conditions like cough, bronchitis
– Snakebite and insect stings (in traditional practices)
– Used externally in oils and liniments for pain relief

16. Ethno Medicinal uses
• Tubers: deadly poisonous, used in variety of traditional medicines as anti pyretic,
sedatives, diaphoretic and analgesic
• Roots: after detoxification or mitigation used for neuralgia, muscular rheumatism,
and inflammatory joint diseases.
• Internally, it is administered for tonsillitis, sore throat, debility fever and gastritis
• Caffeic acid of Aconitum species is antioxidative and anti-inflammatory

17. • Root paste is used as arrow poisoning in western Nepal(Jumla) to kill the animals.
• Root tubers are used to treat the poisoned animals as an antidote
• It is used in variety of traditional medicines for cough, fever, lungs and intestine
infections.
• against cold, fever and headache, as well as for the sedative and analgesic
remedies.
Ethno Medicinal uses

18. Marketed Formulations
• Mahavishgarbha Taila – for joint pain and arthritis (external use only)
• Vishamushti Vati
• Prabhanjanavimardana Taila
• Aconitum-based homoeopathic dilutions (very high dilutions, considered safe)
• Brihat Vat Chintamani Ras (contains detoxified aconite in trace amounts)
• Tribhuwan kriti ras
• Shree Mrityunjaya ras
• Ananda Bhairab ras