The aconite plant (a wrestler, as it is sometimes called) looks great when planted together with most garden flowers. Wrestlers pose the greatest danger to farm animals, especially during the flowering period, because even in the case of drying, they do not lose their toxic properties.
The toxicity of the plant directly depends on the phases of development, as well as on the soil and climatic conditions in which it grows. An example is fighters growing in the north, which are less toxic than in the south.
Basic data
Representing a grassy plant of the Lyutikov family, the wrestler is extremely poisonous. Several names of this plant are widespread among the people, among which the names such as wolf root, king-potion or grass king and blue buttercup have gained the greatest popularity.
The height of the plant does not exceed 20 cm. Its flowers are unique and look very much like the helmets of ancient warriors. In addition, they are bisexual and collected in racemose inflorescences. The bowl consists of five sepals, the upper of which covers several petals of the wrestler at once, being for them a kind of helmet.
After the flowering period ends, which falls in the middle of summer, the plant forms a multi-leafed fruit. The root has a fleshy structure and is represented by several tubers at once, the main of which is the bearing part for the trunk. Moreover, when the wrestler blooms, the main tuber begins to degrade, giving the plant most of its nutrients, and the second accumulates them in itself, significantly increasing in size until the next year, when the wrestler blooms again.
It is noteworthy that the content of alkaloids in the composition of aconite can vary significantly depending on the time of year and various climatic conditions.
Aconite poisoning of animals
In the event that the animal uses the wrestler along with other herbs, the first sign of poisoning is the appearance of uncontrolled salivation. In the future, the pulse slows down and not only the blood pressure decreases, but also the general body temperature.
Against the background of the initial signs, diarrhea and yellowness of the mucous membrane can be observed, but aconite has the most significant effect on the state of the nervous system, significantly destroying its integrity and thereby affecting the animal’s ability to normal breathing, completely paralyzing it, which ultimately leads to death.
History of the use of aconite
The wrestler is a poisonous plant whose properties were already known in ancient times. The entire plant, including even the smell, poses an extreme danger to humans. In ancient times, even poison was made from its juice, in which the tips of arrows were dipped for more effective destruction of enemies, and it also poisoned baits intended for large predators and water sources during enemy attacks.
Surprisingly, some hunters still use this plant instead of strychnine to destroy wolves, whose population can threaten both people and farm animals.
Why is aconite so poisonous?
The toxicity of the plant is directly related to the content of alkaloids in it, among which the main place is aconitine. All of them have a significant effect on the central nervous system and subsequently cause convulsions and complete paralysis of the respiratory center.
Despite the fact that this is a plant of the Lyutikov family, the wrestler rightfully occupies the position of one of the most poisonous plants on earth. In the event that a person takes 2-4 grams of a plant from any part containing alkaloids, this will be a sufficient dose for a fatal outcome.
Manifestations of poisoning by a fighter in people
Poisoning a person by a fighter manifests itself after a couple of minutes. The first signs are an uncontrolled tingling in the mouth and throat, which over time is replaced by a constant burning sensation.
As a result of this, profuse salivation begins in the mouth, abdominal pain is accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea, however, these signs can not be compared with the fact that various parts of the skin and nasopharynx begin to gradually go numb, leading a person to a state of stupor and impairing his visual perception.
In severe poisoning, death can occur within a few hours.
Aconite distribution
The herbaceous plant wrestler contains many dangerous components, the main compound of which is aconitine, which is contained in large quantities in tuberous roots. The danger of poisoning is further enhanced by the fact that this plant is distributed in more than 300 different species, while over 50 varieties of wrestler grow in the Far Eastern territories in Russia.
A large number of them can be found among meadow grasses, forests, copses and forest edges. Since this plant is distributed almost everywhere, it is important to know your favorite places for its growth. Among them, we can distinguish those species of wrestlers who like to grow in a wooded area in close proximity to the thickets of ferns, but the greatest danger is represented by those species of wrestlers that grow surrounded by cereal crops, because individual elements of the plant can be collected together with the crop.
The use of a fighter in medicine
Despite the extremely high content of poisonous elements in the composition of aconite, the wrestler is a plant with excellent medicinal qualities. It can be used as an effective anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticonvulsant, anti-allergic and sedative drug, which is why in Tibet the wrestler received the title of king of medicine.
Wrestler is a plant that is successfully used in the treatment of diseases of the cardiovascular and nervous system, including even depression and neurosis. In addition, with its help it is possible to significantly stabilize the digestive system and significantly affect the diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.
Aconite preparations
In order to turn this extremely toxic plant into a useful, medicinal component, pharmacists need to work hard. Due to its high toxicity, it was decided to stop using the wrestler in Western medicine, but it is widely used in homeopathy to treat a variety of diseases.
Preparations made on its basis, in most cases, are presented in the form of granules composed of several types of plants. Since the wrestler is a poisonous plant and ultimately leads to paralysis of the respiratory tract, when creating tinctures from it, they can be used as an anesthetic for operations on the eyeball, removal of foreign elements from the body, and even as an anesthetic for such a serious illness as syphilis.
Plant collection and processing
For the manufacture of a variety of drugs usually use the roots of the plant. They are harvested in the fall, when the leaves of the wrestler die off, preparing it for the winter period of time. It is noteworthy that the tubers, when dried, are significantly reduced in size and 4 to 5 kg of plants will be needed to collect 1 kg. Moreover, in some cases, the grass itself is harvested just before and during flowering.
Tubers are dug up, washed in cold water and dried under a canopy in a warm, darkened room. When collecting leaves, they are dried under a canopy in the shade. It is imperative to ensure that the leaves after drying retain a dark green hue.
