Aconitum Ferox Wall. Ex Ser.- an Important Medicinal Plant of Sikkim

Aconitum ferox Wall. ex Ser.- An Important Medicinal Plant of Sikkim

Chandan Singh Purohit Botanical Survey of India, Sikkim Himalayan Regional Centre, Gangtok, Sikkim-737103 Email: [email protected] ; [email protected]

Aconitum ferox is referred to as "vatsanabha" in the Shushrutasamhita. It is used in treatment of cough, asthma, leprosy, fever, muscular rheumatism as well as against snake bite, neuralgia, skin disease, acute gout, etc. Because of its over exploited in Himalayan region for medicinal use, it has become present day an endangered plant of Sikkim. Recently its population is very scanty in nature, so its ex-situ and in-situ conservation is necessary. One another plant Aconitum chasmanthum is an alternative source of this plant and it is usually sold under the name "vatsanabha".

Introduction In the tenth century, the Persian physician About 3000 plants are known in India for Alheroo described the plant under the name their medicinal use and about 6000 plant are bish. Europeans first became aware of used as traditional, folk and herbal medicine. Aconitum ferox in the nineteenth century The country has about 2500-3000 species of during journeys to Nepal. During the medicinal plants and our dependence on nineteenth century, there was a thriving trade medicinal plants has in no way minimized by in the root tubers of Aconitum ferox , which the use of modern systems of synthetic drug were brought from Lhasa via Le (Mustang) whose use are not without side-effects. to Ladakh. Phytochemical contents of the genus Aconitum ferox Wall. ex Ser. Aconitum have been bestowed with the Family : Ranunculaceae number of medicinal compassion which Synonym : Aconitum atrox Walp.; Aconitum includes antibacterial, antioxidant anti- atrox (Bruhl) Mukerjee; Aconitum virosum proliferative, enzyme inhibition activities, Don., Aconitum napellus var. rigidum etc. Its tuberous roots are 5-8 cm long and Hook.f. conical. They are first sweet in taste and then Meaning of Aconitum L. Gr. Akoniton bitter and with tingling effects. India receives derived from akon , an arrow. In ancient its supply mostly from Nepal (Sheokand et times the juice of the roots of Aconitum was al. , 2012; Sarkar et al ., 2012). used as an arrow poison. According to Pliny

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the plant was abundant in Acone, a harbor in Habit- Perennial plant Heraclea in Bithynia near Black Sea and Frequency - common around 10,000-14000 hence the generic name, supposed to be ft altitude. derived from it. In Greek mythology the Habitat range - The plant is a common sight name Aconitum was derived from the Mount at lower alpine region during July-August. In Aconitus where Hercules had a fight with the Sikkim Himalaya, it is found at the Cerberus a mad dog, progeny of Typhon and North-eastern Sikkim, Nathula region, the serpent woman Echidna. It was believed Singalela ridges and the Dzongri area. that this plant originated from the deadly Distribution - Temperate Alpine Himalayas saliva of Cerberus (Nayar, 1985). of Sikkim at 10,000 to 14,000 ft altitude in Vernacular name - Kishong-La, Thangu at North Sikkim. It is Bhutia: Bikh, Bikhma the second most used species and distributed Nepali: Akphale, Bikh, Bish, niloBikh from Nepal to Arunachal Pradesh. Lepcha: Nyine Plant Description - Perennial erect herb English: Aconite, Monkdhood, Wolf’s bane, growing up to 2 m in height; roots look like Indian aconite the navel of children (Plate-1). Sanskrit: Vatsanabha, Visa Root- Caudex carrot-shaped or fusiform, Hindi: Bish, Mahoor small, 0.7–1.6 cm. Gujarati: Vachang Stem - 5.5–38 cm tall, simple or basally Marathi: Vachang branched, basally glabrous, apically sparsely Tamil: Vasnumbi retrorse and appressed pubescent. Telugu: Vasnabhi Leaf- Basal leaves long petiolate; petiole 2– Common name : Indian Aconite, Bishnag 14 cm, glabrous, base without distinctsheath; Trade name : Bish leaf blade reniform-pentagonal or reniform, Ayurvedic: Garala, Vajraanga, Visha, 1–2×1.3–3.2 cm, abaxially glabrous, Vatsanaabha, Sthaavaravisha, Vatsanaagaka, adaxially sparsely pubescent, 3-parted nearly Shrangikavisha, Amrita to middle; central lobe rhombic-obtrapezoid; Unani: Bish, Bishnaag lateral lobes obliquely flabellate, unequally Siddha: Vasanaavi, Karunaabhi 2-fid nearly to middle. Cauline leaves 1–3, Folk: Bish, Mithaa Zahar, TeliaVisha, shortly petiolate. Inflorescence 1–5- Bacchanaag flowered; rachis and pedicels retrorse

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Plate -1. Different plant parts of Aconitum ferox Wall. ex Ser.

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pubescent; proximal bracts leaf like, others Associated vegetation- Meconopsis linear. paniculata, Podophyllum hexandrum, Inflorescence- Proximal pedicels 2.4–6.5 Pedicularis longiflora and many species of cm, distal ones 1.5-2 cm, with 2 distal Genus Rhodiola, Carex, Eragrostis, bracteoles orbordering flower, bracteoles Potentilla, Aster, Gnephalium etc. linear, 5.5–6.5 × 0.6–1.2 mm. Constituents: The tuber of Vatsanabha Calyx- Sepals violet or purple, abaxially contains 0.4–0.8% diterpene alkaloids and sparsely pubescent; lower sepals 0.8-1 cm; the concentrations of aconite in fresh plant lateral sepals 1.4-1.8 cm; upper sepal are between 0.3% and 2.0% in tubers and navicular, 1.4-1.8 cm from base to beak, 0.2% and 1.2% in the leaves. The highest lowermargin slightly concave or sub-erect. concentration of aconite is found during Corolla- Petals glabrous; claw slender; limb winter. The major alkaloids are aconitine, small, 2-3 mm; lip 1-2 mm, slightly concave. pseudaconitine, bikhaconitine, Androecium- Stamens sparsely pubescent; diacetylpseudaconitine, aconine, picro- filaments sparsely pubescent, entire or 2- aconine, veratrypseudaconitine, denticulate. chamaconitine, veratrylgamaaconine and di- Gynoecium- Carpels 5, sparsely pubescent. Ac–Y-aconitine. Fruit- Follicles 1–1.4 cm. Seed sub- Parts used- Tuberous root. pyramidal, 1.5-2.5 mm (Grierson & Long, Medicinal uses - It is medicinally important 1984). plant and its major uses are as follow:- Phenology- Its budding starts from June last • Root is used as an antidote for lethal week. First flower open usually in July poisons of local origin. The root powder is second week to third weed. September used to relieve severe body pain, diabetes, month is most blooming time and after it, debility, asthma, ear and nose discharge, flower fall starts and at the end of month of leprosy, paralysis, rheumatism, and August, all flowers fall and fruits initiate. typhoid. It is also considered to be When the winter time starts (November to diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, December), all fruits reach to maturity. febrifuge, and dyspepsia (Gurung, 2002). Specimen examined: Sikkim- Kishong La, It is extremely poisonous and used against North Sikkim 18.9.1996, 4000m, SK Jana, snake bite, neuralgia, skin disease, acute col.no-18304 (BHSC-30774). gout, etc.

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• Aconitum ferox is also known as References

smanchen, "great medicine"; the crushed Grierson AJC and Long DG 1984. Flora of roots, mixed with bezoar stones, are used Bhutan including a record of plants from as a universal antidote. The root is also Sikkim. 1(2) – 319. used to treat malignant tumors. In Nayar MP 1985. Meaning of Indian Nepalese folk medicine, blue aconite is flowering plant names, Bishen Singh used to treat leprosy, cholera, and Mahendra Pal Singh, Dehradun; page- rheumatism. 20-21. • The root is also used as an antidote to hartal, believed to be a lethal poison of Sarkar PK, Prajapati PK, Pillai APG and local origin. The root finds use in cold, Chauhan MG 2012.Pharmacognosy of neuralgia and inflammation, fever, aconite sold under the name Vatsanabha indigestion, and stimulation of bile in Indian market. Indian J. Trad. secretion. Knowledge 11(4) – 685-696.

Conclusion: Aconitum ferox is an important Sheokand A, Sharma A and Gothecha VK medicinal plant used to cure various diseases 2012.Vatsanabha ( Acontiumferox ): From like leprosy, paralysis, rheumatism, diabetes, Visha to Amrita. Int. J. Ayur. Her. debility etc. Because of it’s over Medicine 2(3) - 423-426. exploitation for medicinal use, its population Gurung BJ 2002. The medicinal plants of the continues to decline in nature. So it needs to Sikkim Himalaya. Mapples- west conserve for future use. Sikkim; p-8.

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