Cardiac Poisons: Aconite

Cardiac Poisons: Aconite

These are poisonous plants having an action mainly  on  the heart, either directly or through the nerves.

Aconite (Aconitum napellus, Aconitum ferox)

• All parts of the plant are poisonous, however, the root and root tubers are the most potent.
• Synonyms: Monk’s  hood, mitha zaher, bish, wolf’s bane, women’s bane, devil’s helmet or blue rocket.
• It  has  sweet taste thus called mitha bish

Action:

• Aconite first stImulates and then paralyes the peripheral terminations  of sensory and secretory
• nerves, CNS, and nerves of the myocardium, skeletal and smooth muscles.
• It does not affect the higher centers of the brain as consciousness remains intact till the end.

Fatal dose

• Root: 1–2 g.
• Aconitine: 2–5 mg.

Fatal period: 2–6 hours.

source	Signs and symptoms
GIT	Nausea, vomiting, salivation, pain in the abdomen and diarrhea. Bitter-sweet taste, severe burning and tingling of tongue, mouth, perioral area and throat, followed by numbness.
CVS	Hypotension, chest pain, palpitations, bradycardia, sinus tachycardia, ventricular ectopics and ventricular tachycardia/”brillation, Pulse is slow, feeble and irregular.
CNS	Vertigo, restlessness, headache, giddiness.
MS	Weakness of the muscles of the limbs with twitchings and spasms.
RS	Respiration is slow, labored and shallow.
Ocular	Pupils alternately contract and dilate (hippus). Diplopia and impaired vision occurs.
Others	Temperature is subnormal and skin is cold

 

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