Aconitum volubile

Aconitum volubile is a perennial climbing vine reaching 2 m tall with a 1 m spread. Hardy to UK zone 2, it flowers from August to October with bee-pollinated blooms. The plant grows in light sandy, medium loamy, or heavy clay soils across a range of pH levels from mildly acidic to mildly alkaline. It tolerates semi-shade in light woodland conditions and prefers consistently moist soil.

Description

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

Edible Uses

Young leaves can be dried and cooked, though any use of this plant as food should be treated with great distrust given the highly poisonous nature of the genus.

Traditional Uses

Caution: The plant is poisonous. It has been reported that the dried leaves are eaten after cooking. Caution: Drying often helps reduce poison. Don't eliminate this step!

Medicinal Uses

The dried root is anaesthetic and is used in the same ways as A. napellus — as an anodyne, diaphoretic, and diuretic. This is a very poisonous plant and should only be used with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.

Known Hazards

Members of the genus Aconitum contain substantial amounts of highly toxic alkaloids (such as aconitine, mesaconitine, and pseudaconitine), especially in their roots and tubers. Ingestion of as little as 2 mg of aconitine or 1 g of plant material may cause death from respiratory paralysis or heart failure. Mild to severe toxicity may be experienced from skin contact. Symptoms such as numbness and tingling and feelings of coldness in the face and extremities usually appear within one hour of exposure, and sometimes almost immediately. Other features may include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, sweating, dizziness, difficulty in breathing, headache, and confusion. In severe poisoning, sensations of tingling and numbness spreads to the limbs, and pronounced motor weakness occurs. Cardiovascular features include low blood pressure and abnormal heart rhythm. Death usually occurs within two to six hours in fatal poisoning. Treatment of poisoning involves close monitoring of blood pressure and cardiac rhythm. Gastrointestinal decontamination with activated charcoal can be used if administered within an hour or so of ingestion. Drugs such as atropine, lidocaine, and amiodarone may be used to treat dysrhythmias. Cardiopulmonary bypass, ECMO, and hemoperfusion may be useful if symptoms are refractory to treatment with these drugs. The roots of A. ferox contain large quantities of the alkaloid pseudaconitine; they have been used in the production of the poison called bikh, bish, or nabee in Nepal. Aconite has traditionally been used in many cultures in the preparation of arrow poisons. For example, the Brokpa people in Ladakh have been known to use aconite poisons on their arrows to hunt Siberian ibex. The Matagi and Ainu people also used aconite preparations to hunt bear. They were also used by the Aleut people for hunting whales. The Chinese were known to use aconite poisons both for hunting and for warfare. Aconite-tipped arrows are also described in the Rigveda. It has been hypothesized that Socrates was executed using aconite rather than with hemlock. It has also been suggested that Alexander the Great and Ptolemy XIV Philopator were assassinated with aconite. An early human trial with a control arm took place in 1524, when Pope Clement VII poisoned a pair of prisoners with aconite-laced marzipan, testing an antidote on one that survived, leaving the untreated prisoner to suffer a painful death. In April 2021, the president of Kyrgyzstan, Sadyr Japarov, promoted aconite root as a treatment for COVID-19. Subsequently, at least four people were admitted to hospitals suffering from poisoning. Facebook removed Japarov's posts advocating use of the substance, saying "We've removed this post as we do not allow anyone, including elected officials, to share misinformation that could lead to imminent physical harm or spread false claims about how to cure or prevent COVID-19".

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. In northern China it grows on grassy slopes and the edges of forests between 200-1,000 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, China, Korea, Mongolia, Russia, Siberia,

Cultivation

Thrives in most soils and in the light shade of trees, climbing through dwarf shrubs. Grows well in heavy clay soils. Prefers a moist soil in sun or semi-shade. Prefers a calcareous soil. There is some confusion over the naming of this species. A. volubilis comes from Altai in Mongolia, reports for A. volubile in Korea probably refer to A. neotortuosum. Grows well in open woodlands. A climbing plant, twining around supports. Members of this genus seem to be immune to the predations of rabbits and deer. A greedy plant, inhibiting the growth of nearby species, especially legumes.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Stratified seed can be sown in spring but will germinate slowly. Prick seedlings into individual pots once large enough to handle, overwinter in a cold frame, then plant out in late spring or early summer. This species germinates more readily from seed than most in the genus. Division is best done in spring, though it can also be carried out in autumn. Some sources recommend autumn or late winter division, as the plants come into growth very early in the year.

Other Uses

None known.

Notes

There are about 100 Aconitum species.

Synonyms

References (3)

• Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
• Spic. observ. Aconit. 21. 1787
• Urgamal, M., Oyuntsetseg, B., Nyambayar, D. & Dulamsuren, Ch. 2014. Conspectus of the vascular plants of Mongolia. (Editors: Sanchir, Ch. & Jamsran, Ts.). Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. “Admon“ Press. 334pp. (p. 79-90).

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