Monkshood (Aconitum napellus) also called Wolfsbane, is pictured here growing in a hawthorn bush. This is a very poisonous plant. Aconitine, mesaconitine, hypaconitine and other alkaloids have potent cardiotoxins and neurotoxins found in all parts of the Aconitum species, especially in the tubers and roots. The Latin name Aconite comes from the Greek ἀκόνιτον which means “without dust” and “without struggle”. It was used as a poison for arrow heads when hunting wolves (hence wolfsbane) and, as it is so fast acting, probably had then falling in the dust without a struggle
The neurotoxins, aconitine and mesaconitine can be absorbed through the skin and cause severe respiratory and cardiac problems. So do not pick or handle this plant without gloves, especially by the root.
Common signs of monkshood poisoning include tingling, tongue and mouth go numb, nausea with vomiting, breathing becomes harder and laboured, pulse and heartbeat become weak and irregular, skin is cold and clammy.
Patients with internal Aconitum poisoning will have cardiovascular (slows and stops the heart), neurological (pain, convulsions, paralysis), gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea and vomiting) and there are often other signs (for example, confusion and mania can occur if the alkaloids reach the brain). Multiple organ failure is likely. In autopsies, Aconitum alkaloid levels are found to be highest in the liver and kidneys, and lower in the heart and cerebrum, the latter having lower levels than the blood (Niitsu et al, 2012). The attached charts show the distribution of alkaloids in the organs at autopsy.
The estimated lethal dose is 2 mg of aconitine, 5 ml of aconite tincture and 1 g of the raw aconite plant (Chan, 2012; Qin et al., 2012). A 2mg dose of aconitine can cause death within 4 hours. Luckily cases of fatal monkshood poisoning are rare as it tastes foul and bitter and would quickly be spat out.
There is no known antidote.
As well as the already mentioned toxins aconitine, mesaconitine and hypaconitine, poisonous monkshood also contains at least a dozen other poisonous compounds, diterpenoid alkaloids, jesaconitine, lycoctonine, neopelline, neoline, benzoylaconines, and aconins. So not a baby to be messed with. Avoid picking a wild bouquet of it to take home!!
One of monkshood’s older common names was Venus’ Chariot so it may have been used in pagan flying ointments. So called “flying ointments” were allegedly used by witches (hence flying on broomsticks (wooden dildos)) where a balm or salve containing a poisonous herb was applied to the skin to control the dose. Sound evidence of this,as you can imagine, is missing. The purpose was to avail the shaman or witch of a dangerous herb’s intoxicants, getting high for visionary or mystical journeys, while avoiding some of the fatal effects. Don’t try this at home as just 2 milligrams of aconitine is lethal. Dangerous games!
Recently (Inquest Report June 2015) there was sad news in the media about the death of Nathan Greenway (7 Sept 2014), a gardener who died of multiple organ failure. He had allegedly brushed past a lot of monkshood (27 August) but had not handled any of it – to anyone’s knowledge. The coroner ruled that his death was due to unexplained causes.
In Nathan’s case, as death occurred some 10 days after developing symptoms, monkshood poisoning was ruled out as monkshood’s fatal effects are usually instantaneous. Also some of the symptoms were not those expected. For example it was reported that he was ‘drenched in sweat’ – was this the clamminess associated with Aconitum poisoning or a viral sweat?
Richard Greenway, Nathan’s father, who investigated and made the connection with monkshood poisoning, thought the plant was to blame. Asmat Mustajab, the histopathologist called for the pre-inquest hearing, also believed that aconitum “more likely than not” played a key role in Nathan’s death
Infuriatingly, the blood samples taken on his admission to hospital were destroyed – despite being labelled ‘To Be Retained’. As aconitines wreak their damage immediately but leave the body within 24 hours, it is theoretically possible that later analysis failed to detect aconitines – especially as they were not being looked for at the time as they thought he might have Ebola or another virus.
Modern intensive care can also keep patients alive for longer even with severe organ damage having been sustained.
I’m not in possession of the full facts and merely speculating from an uniformed position, but I would personally have thought that it was possible for Nathan to have died if he had handled the plants. He may not have been observed handling them; if he had been working hard and sweating his skin pores would have been open; on a large estate ‘brushing against’ a colony of monkshood (rather than just a plant or two) could have had a cumulative effect; we are not told how long the leaves were in contact with his skin. But I wasn’t there, nor have I seen the inquest report, so in this case we must conclude that Nathan must have died for another reason. My thoughts are very much with the Nathan’s wife, father and family.
Regardless, do be aware of the plant and avoid handling it, especially by the roots. There is clinical evidence not just anecdotal that it can be absorbed by the skin (percutaneous poisoning). One of our @NapiersHerbs Twitter followers reported the following experience: “@RavenPulsar: Once I forgot to wear gloves & picked up a very young plant by the roots – hands went numb… washed hands & was ok thankfully (!)”
References:
Chan, T.Y. (2012). Aconitum alkaloid content and the high toxicity of aconite tincture. Forensic Sci. Int., 222, 1–3
Niitsu et al. (2012). Distribution of Aconitum alkaloids in autopsy cases of aconite poisoning. Forensic Sci Int. 10(227), (1-3):111-7. doi: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2012.10.021.
Qin, Y., Wang, J., Zhao, Y., Shan, L., Li, B.C., Fang, F., Jin, C., & Xiao, X.H. (2012). Establishment of a bioassay for the toxicity evaluation and quality control of Aconitum herbs. J. Hazard. Mater., 199–200, 350–357
Obviously, this is the one to avoid…. I remember warning a vicar, who was tending his church garden, in Lancashire. As part of the floral display, Monkshood was at the fore, probably as it’s a fine looking plant….If you spot any, anywhere, make sure the local authorities know about it! Regards to All & Be Safe. Steve.
Would like more info as I am sure that my brothers wife killed him and his son, His son died very fast of what was named ” heart attack”, 39 years old and very healthy. Strange that he died within days of my brothers “Will”,l leaving him in control of his estate and our family trust. Strange that my brother died the night before he was going to retire and was set on getting a divorce from the woman who was bleeding him dry, She took every dime “750,00.00 plus from his children and tried to get into our family trust ‘1.8 million dollars. I want to know how she was able to kill my brother over time, can you give tiny doses of Monks Hood to bring on heart problems then give a lethal dose when ready?
Gosh! That’s a very difficult question that I’m not at all qualified to answer.
Purely out of scientific interest, as far as I’m aware, the lethal dose for humans is 32 mg of aconitine per kilo of body weight and the lowest oral dose reported to kill a human is as low as 29 micrograms/kg body weight (100× more lethal than strychnine).
There would be a variety of symptoms: neurological – prickling feeling then numbness of face, perioral area, and all limbs and/or muscle weakness in all limbs; cardiovascular – hypotension, chest pain, palpitations, bradycardia, sinus tachycardia, ventricular ectopics, ventricular tachycardia, and ventricular fibrillation; gastrointestinal – nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
There are records of aconite used in murders. However, for someone to poison another over a period of time with aconite, they’d have to either be a very experienced chemist or have access to purified forms (it’s a banned medicinal extract in UK but perhaps not in China) as it would be very hard to control the dose. There are many other natural poisons too from plants and fungi to puffer fish.
It’s obviously very painful when family members die unexpectedly and feeling can run very high where relationships have been strained and wills changed. If you have concerns as to his cause of death, the best thing would be to speak to his doctor or the police. I hope you find solace and healing in your distress.
Haha, you could sell a book!! But probably not monkshood, perhaps digitalis, water hemlock, laburnum; or even antirrhinum – snapdragons, all though considered safe to eat, if consumed over along time, it can cause a person to feel depressed, and fall ill – eventually dying, though this won’t be sudden.
Hi Monica, thank you for this page–some great information! I was wondering, where the Monkshood touches the skin, would there be any sort of inflammation or other dermatological issues?
Thanks!
Not that I’m aware of
Hi Monica, Great information! Thanks for the page. I was wondering if there would be any dermatological symptoms where the monkshood touches the skin? Also, do you know if there are any scents associated with this poison like almonds are with arsenic? Thanks!
No I don’t think so which is why it’s so difficult to trace.
Hi Monica, this information is extremely helpful. I was wondering if you know how fast monkshood kills when it is in placed in the bloodstream?
I haven’t tried it personally!!
Hey, I know its ‘almost untraceable’ but does that mean there is a way to trace it? If so, how?
Modern police science can, I am told, quite easily find out if someone was killed with Aconite (the poison chemical in Monkshood) and there have been several homicides committed with it in the U.S. and the Commonwealth. There have only been two POSSIBLE accidental poisonings in modern times that have made the news. Some gardener in GB who apparently didn’t know his trade and a Canadian actor who “walked through a large area of wild Aconitum.
ive seen a series were it was used and the Person was fully paralysed do you think this could happen in real life?
Yes it could both paralyse and cause death
Hello,
I have just brooded over the article, because I just have read a novel by Ellis Peters “Monk’s hood”, from Cadfaels cronicles. So I was wondering what a plant is that, as English is not my native tongue. We have this plant in my native Lithuania as well, just for my ancestors its flowers resembled not a hood but a shoe, hence the local name ‘kurpele’ meaning ‘ a wee shoe’. And it’s poisonous features also are known. But what I’d like to ask: in the novel, the plot circles around a murder by adding monks hood tincture to a meal. The consequences were purely as there is described in the article. But at the same time, Cadfael was using the same tincture as an unguent for screaching joints. The rubbing of the ointment had a warming effect. But from the article I understand that the patient still would be poisoned badly. How do you think, could that be that the plant was really used as a medicine? In neat doses and only on.the skin? Or that rather was a fantasy of the author of the marvelous historic fiction serie?
When working with the poisons medicinally so much depends on dose and method of preparation. Quite a few of the poisons that paralyse nerves are used in tiny drop doses that are then diluted further to treat neuropathic pain. I don’t use aconite on my patients but I do have herbals telling me how to prepare it for them. Also, in China, it is prepared in a special way to make it medicinal and – in some older villages – edible. Fu Zi and Hai Fu Pian are prepared Aconite carmichaelii root that is brined, boiled, fried, baked and then dried for specific lengths of time and in different mediums over several days – to render it medicinal and not fatal!
In the Germanic lands and Alpine regions of Europe they used tintures of Aconite for pain killers for a long time. I have found a few recipes on line which were reprinted from research that was several decades old and taken from older “healers” from mountain villages.
You don’t need to go back in time. There are excellent modern textbooks for those studying herbal medicine at degree level that describe the safe preparation and use of aconite – both in Western herbal medicine and in traditional Chinese medicine. However, it should only ever be administered by a properly qualified, experienced herbalist and even that is illegal in the United Kingdom and Ireland. See list of banned and restricted herbs: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/list-of-banned-or-restricted-herbal-ingredients-for-medicinal-use/banned-and-restricted-herbal-ingredients
we will agree to disagree on the sources that are trustworthy. Thank you.good bye
If you do come in contact with Monkshood, are there any recommendations for washing it off the skin? Other than soap and water of course. For example I’m aware that washing with milk and then soap and water is good for removing the juice from hot peppers. There is something,(I don’t know what) in milk, that binds with the capsaicin. That kind of thing. Thank You.
I don’t know of any special technique I’m afraid. Atropine is the antidote for poisoning.
Hi, why do you think atropine is the antidote?
It’s a treatment strategy for the bradycardia https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19514874/
Yes this absolutely make sense.
you are really know your craft.
thank you
regards
George
Atropine is what they use for almost all nerve effecting poisons.
Wow, this is shocking! There’s a tall plant in my parents’ garden that I now believe is Monkshood. I handle it all the time… but I’ve never had any problems. Does that mean it can’t be Monkshood? Are there any similar plants that aren’t poisonous that it could be? It was there when my parents moved in 10 years ago and grows back every spring. We didn’t know what it was but looking at photographs online, it look just like Monkshood to me.
You’ve been lucky and maybe not had prolonged contact with it but suggest you don’t handle it without gloves. Delphiniums are commonly confused with monkshood.
Hi my name is lilo and i am writing a book about a girl who has a suicide and used the plant to kill her self with my one question is would it show up on a medical report or would they have to search for the poison itself
It wouldn’t show up on a medical report.
This sounds a lot like you’re planning to kill someone, not writing a book. Don’t do it. There’s always something you haven’t thought of. Even if you’re the kind of person who is OK with killing someone, are you OK with spending your life in prison?
I put this post up for information – not for use by anyone and would strongly condemn the use of monkshood in any shape or form.
hOW DO i SAFELY GET RID OF mONKSHEAD PLANTS
I would suggest digging them up wearing protective clothing and incinerating them or asking you council to dispose of them safely.
Wear gloves and googles, and did them up. IF you lived near me I would remove them for you for free! I love this plant and grow quite a few myself.
A very informative article (I grow a lot of Aconitum).
Hi I grow Monkshood in my garden and have inherited it from the last owner over 40 yr ago. Monkswood will give you an itchy rash on your hands if you even accidently brush against the fresh green keaves while weeding. Always war gardening gloves when near them and do not wear shorts either, keep away from open skin.
My experience started last fall when I was helping to put some gardens to bed. This included cutting back a large stand of budded Monkshood. I saved aside about two dozen long stems, took them home and put them in a crock of water on the front porch, hoping that the buds would eventually open. They did and I continued to create changing arrangements with dahlias and hydrangeas as the stems blossomed. Beautiful! All this time I started to feel unwell, tired and with increasing tingling and numbness in hands and arms up to the shoulders, and enough discomfort to awaken me at night. There also developed a strange aching in my lower gut, not connected with elimination. It too would awaken me and was mostly at night. I kept track of the various symptoms for a month. They ebbed and flowed but never were absent.
At this time…
I discovered your website whilst looking for the botanical name of monkshood which I had just admired in bloom in a friend’s garden. This was the day after I first visited my doctor to determine the source of the symptoms I’d been experiencing for a matter of weeks. All blood tests were normal and ruled out any concern. Your website was an eyeopener and I sent it to my physician. We consulted again and he took note of the connections I was suddenly making. He referred me to a neurologist, who examined me and was perplexed until after he ventured a diagnosis of an atypical carpal tunnel syndrome, I revealed the recent history of aconite contact. Putting everything together, he agreed that this was the most likely cause of the varied symptoms.
Thank you,
Clare
Hi Clare. Thanks for your feedback and I’m so pleased the article was useful to you. What an experience! I hope you’ve made a full recovery. Mo x
It seems unlikely to recover from this. the Neurologist told me nerves do grow anew, but VERY slowly. I’m over 80. Thank you for your website and for your response, Monica.
I’m sorry to hear that Clare. I’ll contact you directly, if I may, re some suggestions.
Thank you for your kind offer.
I’d be happy to know what might help. It has been 8 months since first exposure.
Great article. I tried growing monkshood from seed they didn’t take so far. Something I’m paranoid of is the water off the plant and the soil around the plant itself poisonous? Example if water off a leaf of monkshood got into a cut would that cause poinsioning?
How can you get rid of this? Is it less poisonous when it dies in the fall? If I’ve touched it with my garden gloves should I throw them away? Thank you
You can dig it up and dispose of it wearing gloves. You don’t need to throw the gloves away as, even if they get plant juice on them, aconitine degrades very quickly. The root is just as poisonous in the fall, perhaps more so once the foliage has died back.
Thank you so much for your reply. I’m hoping I got all the roots. A lot of soil went in my bags. Thanks again
You’re welcome.
Wow. I just watched Googlebox and one of the programs they reviewed featured a murder drama using this as Wolf’s bane. I looked it up to find it is Monkshood which I have in my garden, inherited from previous owner and at least 30 years old.
It’s a beautiful plant. I transferred it from the back to the front. They also left lily of the valley, peonies, feverfew, valerian, rhubarb, cornflower blue,…. Perhaps they were witches 😅. Does it cause high blood pressure? Will I have to remove it If I rent it out the house?
If you’re renting out the house it might be a good idea to leave a brief guide to the plants. Include a suggestion to wear gloves if handling the monkshood. It doesn’t cause high blood pressure. It actually lowers blood pressure and slows the heart.
Japanese Monkshood was just mentioned in the Casualty drama, with a dementia patient using it as a seasoning, poisoning all the staff and patients. Must be the same writing team.
That would be a very strange plant to choose as a seasoning as it has a bitter taste, then a biting and numbing effect on the tongue.
Hello Monica! This article was very informative. I was wondering though, what is the proper gear needed to handle or dispose of monkshood? I know of gloves and such, but are face masks or eyewear also needed?
Gloves should be sufficient. It’s just important to avoid skin contact. Sap doesn’t tend to make contact with eyes unless you’re strimming it and I would not strim it personally. If I had to strim it I would cover every inch of me!
Isn’t Atropine made from Belladonna aka Deadly Nightshade
Yes, atropine is found in Atropa belladonna (Deadly Nightshade). Atropine ‘might’ be part of a treatment plan in the case of Aconitine poisoning. There is no direct antidote to aconitine poisoning, only vital supportive measures could be provided to alleviate the situation. Cases from hospitals report usage of a variety of drugs/strategies: acticarbon, atropine, intravenous injected lidocaine, amiodarone, hemoperfusion, methylepinephrine, and flecainide have all been mentioned in documented cases. Importantly, these are administered in a hospital setting by trained medics.
Hi how if you touched it what to do? My little brother had touched it and i dont know what to do. Just wash your hands with water and soap? Or you should go to a doctor?
Wash your hand with soap and water. If you touched it briefly that is enough. However, be aware of the symptoms and if any of the symptoms of poisoning occur, get medical help immediately.
Wash with soap and water thoroughly. Then observe, if any strange sensations in arm or heart go to doctor. But if he just touched it lightly he will be fine.
Hi, are the sprouts poisonous?
Probably, yes. I wouldn’t eat any part of it unless properly prepared as per traditional Chinese knowledge.
so cool!
I believe my husband is poisoning me with momkshood, and I have the products he is placing it in. Where do I go?
The police would be the best people to contact if you think you are being poisoned. If you’re too scared to go to the police, go to a Womens’ Refuge or Shelter for victims of domestic abuse and get some support. Good luck.