This product is the tuberous root of the perennial herbaceous plant Aconite Mother Root (Aconitum carmichaelii Debx.) from the Japanese buttercup herb family. It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Hunan, and other regions. It is harvested in summer and autumn, then dried. It can be used raw or after processing.

bubble_chart Properties and Meridians

Acrid and bitter, warm, extremely toxic. Act on heart, spleen, liver and kidney meridians.

bubble_chart Efficacy

Dispelling wind and dampness, dissipating cold to relieve pain.

bubble_chart Indications

1. Used for wind-cold-dampness impediment. This product can dispel wind and remove dampness, dissipate cold to relieve pain. Treats cold-dampness headache, body pain, multiple arthralgia pain, and inability to bend or stretch, often used with Ephedra, Peony Root, Astragalus Root, etc., such as Aconite Mother Root Decoction. If treating apoplexy with numbness of hands and feet, and spasmodic pain of tendons and vessels, it is often used with frankincense, myrrh, Earthworm, etc., such as Small Collaterals-Activating Pill.
2. Used for various cold pains, traumatic injuries, and anesthetic pain relief. This product has a strong effect of dissipating cold to relieve pain. If used to treat cold abdominal colic and abdominal pain, reversal cold of hands and feet, it can be used alone by decocting it thickly and taking it with honey, as in the Major Aconite Main Root Decoction from "Jin Gui"; for treating traumatic stasis pain, it is often used with frankincense, myrrh, Sanqi, etc.; for its anesthetic pain relief effect, it can be used as a surgical anesthetic, often used with Toad Venom, raw Nanxing, raw Pinellia, etc., such as in external anesthetic formulas.

bubble_chart Documentation

1. Bencao Gangmu: "Treats major wind obstinate impediment."

bubble_chart Usage and Dosage

Decoct and take 3-9g. If used as powder or wine preparation, reduce to 1-2g. When added to decoction, it should be decocted first for 0.5-1 hour. For external use, apply an appropriate amount. Generally, it should be processed before use; raw products should be taken orally with caution.

bubble_chart Cautions and Contraindications

Contraindicated for pregnant women. Incompatible with Pineilia, Trichosanthis Fruit, Fritillaria Bulb, Common Bletilla Pseudobulb, and Japanese Ampelopsis Root. Not suitable for long-term use; raw product is for external use only.

bubble_chart Modern Pharmacology

Aconite Mother Root contains various alkaloids, primarily Aconite Mother Root alkaloid, iso-Aconite Mother Root alkaloid, hypo-Aconite Mother Root alkaloid, and jasmine Aconite Mother Root alkaloid. Aconite Mother Root has analgesic, sedative, and local anesthetic effects. It exhibits anti-inflammatory properties in animal experimental models of "arthritis." Hypo-Aconite Mother Root alkaloid and proto-Aconite Mother Root alkaloid have antipyretic effects on rabbits with fever induced by vaccine injection, but they do not affect normal body temperature. Aconite Mother Root decoction or total alkaloids can increase coronary blood flow in anesthetized cats. A small dose of Aconite Mother Root alkaloid slows the heart rate, while a large dose can cause arrhythmia and even ventricular fibrillation.