Interesting information about the types of aconite, the rules of planting and care on the site

Aconite - an amazing plant. His second name is wrestler. This is very symbolic, because the plant has long been used to combat dangerous diseases, including cancer.

Aconite - perennial flower. This plant belongs to the buttercups. The height of the bush to two meters. It has beautiful flowers. They are purple and have an unusual shape. Speaking in scientific language, such a form of flowers in biology is called zygomorphic. This distinguishes aconite from the remaining buttercups. The shape of the flowers, it is more like legumes.

Description of the Plant

Aconite is a grassy plant for open ground. The genus of the plant is very rich - about 300 species. Grows in Europe, Asia, North America. This herbaceous perennials. The root system is in the form of tubers or rhizomes. Stems - upright. Less common are winding and curly. Height upright - up to 2 m, climbing - up to 4 m.

Rhizomes oblong, ovate( length - up to 5 cm, width - up to 2 cm).They grow in the soil at a depth of 5 to 30 cm. The plant has palmate-separated, lobed or dissected foliage. Color - dark green. Location - next. Wherever aconite grows, it has gained popularity.

The shape of the flowers is incorrect. Color - usually purple. More rarely - yellow, white, motley. In the coronoid cup there are 5 sepals. At the top - the characteristic shape of the helmet. It covers two petals that have become nectaries. The inflorescence can be simple or complex, racemose( length - up to 50 cm).Flowering time - July-September. The fruit is a leaflet. It is multi-seeded, has teeth, arched or straight. The seeds of the plant are small, brown, gray or black. Their germination can last up to one and a half years.

Aconite, whose photo of flowers is very attractive and diverse, has become popular among gardeners. The most popular form is a hood aconite( blue).This species is distinguished by its variability. That is why the names create a lot of confusion.

In aconite everything is completely poisonous, even pollen.

The natural growth zone is the northern hemisphere. Now in botany about 300 of its species are recorded.75 species found in Russia. Most species are quite common. The most suitable soil - meadows on highlands, roadsides around dirt roads, river banks.

Curious Facts

Aconite is a plant with a rich history. About him invented many legends and myths. He is mentioned in ancient legends and epic Scandinavians. This mysterious plant is found in a huge number of recipes magical drinks.

Here are just a few interesting facts:

1. The mention of the plant is even in the eleventh exploit of the famous Hercules. According to the myth, it grew out of the place where a drop of poisonous saliva from the dog Cerberus fell. This man of hell was terrified when Hercules brought him to earth.
2. This name appeared in the Scandinavians. In Scandinavian myths, a wrestler grew up where the god Thor died. He defeated a terrible poisonous snake, but died from numerous bites.
3. In ancient Greece, the plant is often used as a poison. They were killed those who were sentenced for crimes to death. Thus began the sad glory of aconite.
4. Plutarch has a mention that with the help of aconite, Mark Antony’s soldiers were poisoned. The state of the poisoned is described in detail. They wandered for a long time without a goal, fell into deep unconsciousness, as if they were constantly looking for something. Then they vomited bile, and eventually they died. Death was painful and long.
5. The ancients grew aconite as an ornamental plant. In antiquity, it could be easily found in urban gardens. Even lush lilac bushes were planted around the emperor's palace. The year 117 was a turning point. Increased cases of poisoning. Emperor Traian began to associate the mass death of his servants with aconite bushes. From this year on, the plant was banned as an ornamental.
6. In antiquity, the inhabitants of the island of Chios got rid of the sick, the elderly and the infirm with the aid of the poison of aconite. According to the cruel custom, a man had to voluntarily drink the cooked poison in order to get into another world.
7. Residents of East India have long used a poison called "bik."They carefully grease them with the tips of their arrows and spears. This helps to significantly increase the effectiveness of hunting, especially for large animals. In the tribes of the Digar and now used for this pounded root aconite.
8. In the dark times of the Inquisition, if aconite was found in a dwelling, a woman could be accused of witchcraft. For this she was burned.

No wonder the wise people of Tibet call him just as the “king of medicine”.It was here that it was first used as a medicinal plant. He is mentioned in the work of the Four Books. Aconite was used to fight tumors and infections, pneumonia, anthrax. In Russia, it was often used externally for pain relief.

Pliny the Elder has this bush mentioned as a drug for the treatment of eyes. Many examples are given of how glaucoma and blindness were cured with its help. At the same time, the author calls it not only as "plant arsenic".It emphasizes its toxicity.

A doctor from Vienna, Anton Sterk has been researching how aconite a wrestler treats cancer for years. He documented cases of recovery. Sterk made great efforts to determine the safest and most effective dose of the drug obtained from this plant.

In 1838, the Sovremennik publication published a letter that V. Dahl wrote to his friend, the doctor Odoyevsky. The message recounted a case of healing a peasant with aconite from severe pneumonia. When the son of Dahl himself fell ill with croup, the scientist also treated him with this plant.

Among Soviet physicians, Zakaurtseva was the first to notice aconite. She scrutinized it and developed its cancer treatment method.

Since 1946, the following types of aconite have been officially recorded in the Soviet Pharmacopoeia:

• Karakol;
• Dzungar.

Now the plant has no medicinal status. Despite this, the “pale empty” type is used for the industrial production of allapinin. This drug is used for arrhythmias. Dzungarian species traditionally used in herbal medicine, as one of the complex drugs in the treatment of cancer.

Do not use aconite tincture without consulting a homeopath! It is important to choose the right dosage.

Species introduced into the culture of

This attractive shrub is often used in landscape design. Western flower growers especially love him. Brought simply a huge number of decorative forms. Wolf aconite is very popular. The plant has several advantages at once. Its bushes have juicy lush leaves and bright small flowers that bloom in large numbers. Ornamental species have a weak toxicity, and later generations lose it altogether.

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The following types are particularly decorative: Aconitum variegatum, Aconite lycoctonum, Aconitum napellus, Aconitum stoerckeanum and Aconitum cammarum. These are small shrubs( up to 2 m).Their feature - lush inflorescences, which in form resemble pyramids. The flowers are very bright. There are yellow, purple, white and blue, and even blue.

To emphasize the unusual shade of aconite flowers, plant low plants with contrasting shades( yellow, orange, red) next to it. Gardeners are very fond of Aconite Jungar for its simplicity. Insects fly by their side.

The following species are common on summer cottages and in nature:

1. Aconite, paniculata. Homeland - the south of Europe. It has a beautiful branched stem. They are distinguished by a decorative brush of flowers on long stalks. The seeds have one wing.
2. Colorful aconite. Distributed in the Carpathians. The signs are the same as in the previous species, but less pronounced.
3. Aconite two-color Cammarum or Shterk aconite. It is an elegant hybrid of blue and motley species. It advantageously combines the signs of crossed parents. But the flower is colored more interesting. It is two-color. That two-color form has become very popular among gardeners. In the gardens you can find his different varieties: Bicolor( Bicolor) - has short inflorescences with white flowers, fringed with purple;Grandiflorum Album( Grandiflorum Album) - is distinguished by perfectly white flowers, gathered in luxurious brushes;Pink Sensation ”(‘ Pink Sensation ) - , as the name implies, has pink inflorescences.
4. Aconite Klobuchkovy is valued for its bright blue inflorescences. They are very decorative. Blue shade is rarely found in nature, because this type has become very popular among gardeners.
5. Aconite Karmichel also often be seen in the gardens. Its flowers have a pleasant blue-violet hue. Panicle averages, rather decorative.
6. Aconite winding. Very interesting form. It has a climbing stem that can grow up to 4 meters.

Meadow plants can be used as honey plants. However, the bees rarely sit on them. Experienced beekeepers even recommend weed out the plant to avoid bee poisoning. There are cases of mass death after collecting nectar from this plant.

Cultivating aconite

If you decide to start aconite, planting and care in the open field will not require much effort. This is an unpretentious plant. Many species hibernate well.

Light Favoring Species - Aconite Antorra( Aconitum anthora) and Aconite Karmichel( Aconitum carmichaelii).They are better planted in elevated areas. Other species tolerate excess moisture.

Plant tolerates transplant. It is better to divide bushes in the spring, but it is possible and in the autumn. Stalks should not be. Make the planting pit wide and deep so that the rhizome is comfortable. Before you plant a plant, you need to pour mineral fertilizer into the pit( 15-20 g).The depth of the root neck is 1-2 cm. The distance between the bushes is 25-30 cm.

Vegetatively reproduces well, dividing the bushes. Worse - seeds. Seed propagation does not preserve the characteristics of the variety. Before sowing, it is better to stratify. Flowering is worth waiting for only 2-3 years.

Care

Care is as follows:

• regularly need to loosen the soil.
• feeding every 1-2 months.
• dried inflorescences need to be removed.
• If the season is dry, the plant is watered.

The plant is prone to powdery mildew.

Features of the composition of

In the aconite, two types of alkaloids were found at once:

1. Atyzine.
2. Acanite.

Their localization - the whole plant( from flower to root).Athyzine are volatile alkaloids. They are not poisonous. During hydrolysis, it breaks down into organic acid and arucanine. The plant contains very little. It is atizinovy ​​alkaloids have a beneficial effect on the heart and blood vessels.

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Acanite alkaloids are more interesting. Alkaloid most of all in tubers, roots.

Each species has its own degree of toxicity. Also, this indicator affects the type of soil, time of collection. Least of all poison in those plants that grow in flooded and swampy soil. If you collect the plant in the fall or spring, it will be the most toxic.

Poisonous species contain a maximum of aconitine and its derivatives. For humans, almost any kind of plant is poisonous. But the degree of their toxicity can be very different.

You can easily check how poisonous the plant is. Just squeeze out some juice and rub your finger with it. If poison is present, itching will occur. Then the skin will begin to burn, and soon lose its sensitivity. This is a clear sign that the sample is poisonous. This effect is explained by the fact that aconitin is able to have a pronounced irritating and paralyzing effect on the nerve endings.

We do not recommend experimenting with this dangerous plant. Even drawing on his finger juice is fraught with undesirable consequences. It is most dangerous to use grated roots.

As acts on the body

Aconite extremely destructive effect on the central nervous system. His influence can be compared with the famous poison curare. If a lethal dose is ingested, the paralysis of the respiratory center quickly develops. This leads to inevitable death.

That is why it is strictly forbidden to independently use the plant for therapeutic purposes. Only an experienced doctor can pick up a safe dose. It should be scanty. In this case, the therapeutic effect does not occur immediately. A certain amount of alkaloid must accumulate in the blood.

The therapeutic dose of aconitin helps to stabilize the heart rhythm, breathing. It activates the metabolism in the cells, negatively affects all kinds of infections. It has also been observed that the growth of neoplasms slows down. If, however, the dose is not calculated, paralysis of the heart muscle, asphyxiation may occur. This is inevitable death.

If a homeopath treats with the poison of this plant, he very carefully selects the dosage. It must be strictly individual.

Aconite tincture is used in homeopathy. After the intake of this drug, highly diluted with water, increased saliva secretion may be observed. This is a sign that the alkaloid has begun to act. When it is absorbed through the oral mucosa, it irritates the parasympathetic nerve. And body temperature can drop for a few hours.

The therapeutic effect is achieved only by regular use of alkaloids. It is important that it accumulates in the body and reaches the desired concentration. This includes defense mechanisms, the body begins to fight.

The decoction of the plant is two times weaker than the infusion. This should be taken into account in dose collection. With the help of tincture of Dzhungar aconite, homeopaths treat such diseases:

• hormonal disturbance, impotence, sterility;
• breakdown;
• anemia;
• goiter toxic;
• diabetes;
• blindness, deafness, cataracts, glaucoma;
• benign neoplasm;
• kidney disease;
• gallstone disease;
• angina pectoris, hypertension, arrhythmia;
• gastritis, ulcers, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, diarrhea, constipation, flatulence;
• asthma, pneumonia, bronchitis, pleurisy, tuberculosis;
• trigeminal neuralgia, depression, migraine, paralysis, insomnia, Parkinson's disease;
• tics, convulsions, schizophrenia, psychosis;
• venereal diseases, anthrax;
• arthritis, arthrosis, gout, sciatica, fractures, sprains, bruises, osteochondrosis, etc.

The plant is also used:

• as an external antiseptic( scabies, lice);
• as an antidote( poisoning by mushrooms, plants);
• as a remedy for tumors.

As you can see, the aconite, the photo and description of which we have offered you, is a very interesting medicinal and ornamental plant.