What are the contraindications of Aconite?

People who have some knowledge of Chinese medicine know that aconite is a kind of traditional Chinese medicine. This medicine has certain toxicity, but if the dosage can be controlled properly, it can have a good therapeutic effect on some diseases. If you don’t know much about the contraindications of aconite, it is best not to use it casually to avoid drug poisoning. Let me introduce you to the contraindications of aconite!

Aconite is a medicine that is very pungent, very hot and poisonous. Its effects are to restore yang and rescue from adverse conditions, warm the spleen and kidneys, and dispel cold and relieve pain. It is very spicy and hot, warms the yang and expels cold. It takes one to three grams. It is generally believed that it is best to fry it first.

1. Used for symptoms such as syncope, loss of yang, and pulse impending death. Aconite is pungent and hot, and is mainly used for spontaneous cold sweat, cold limbs, weak pulse, or severe sweating, vomiting, and severe coldness. It is often used together with ginseng, dried ginger, and roasted licorice. If the patient is sweating profusely, with loss of yang and coldness, in addition to aconite and ginseng, you must also add dragon bone, oyster and other astringent and sweat-retaining drugs; if heavy bleeding causes cold hands and feet, sweating and weak pulse, you can use ginseng, aconite, dragon bone, oyster together with Ophiopogon japonicus and Schisandra chinensis to restore yang and save yin.

2. Used for symptoms such as kidney yang deficiency, fear of cold and cold limbs, spleen yang deficiency, abdominal pain, and loose stools. Aconite can replenish Yuan Yang and benefit the source of fire. It can be used for all symptoms of kidney yang deficiency, weakened vital fire, fear of cold and cold limbs, impotence, and frequent urination. It is often used together with cinnamon, rehmannia, dodder seed, and cornus fruit. For symptoms of spleen yang deficiency, cold pain in the abdomen, and loose stools, aconite can be used together with drugs such as Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, dried ginger, and roasted licorice that can benefit qi and warm the spleen.

3. Used for symptoms such as wind-cold-dampness arthralgia, pain in bones and joints all over the body. Aconite has warm properties and can dispel cold and dampness. Therefore, it has a good effect of dispelling cold and relieving pain for those with rheumatic pain caused by a predominance of cold. It is often used together with cinnamon twig and other products.

Although aconite and monkshood are the same plant, they have slightly different processing methods and thus have slight differences in clinical application. It is generally believed that aconite is better at replenishing fire and restoring yang, while monkshood is better at dispersing cold and relieving pain. Raw aconite, raw Chuanwu, and raw Caowu are all highly toxic and must be processed for oral administration and used in decoctions.

Boil for a long time; the raw ones are generally only for external use, but they should not be used if the skin is damaged.

Poisoning and treatment: Aconitine first excites and then paralyzes various nerve endings and centers.

Lethal dose: 2 ml of Aconitum tincture, 2 mg of Aconitine.

Symptoms: First there is numbness of the lips and tongue, nausea, numbness of the hands and feet, followed by irregular movements, vomiting, palpitations, pale face, cold skin, chest tightness, irritability, decreased pain sensation, slow and weak heartbeat, decreased blood pressure, slow breathing, difficulty swallowing, speech disorders, and inhibition of the respiratory center. Occasionally there are convulsions and acute cardiogenic cerebral ischemia syndrome. Death may occur suddenly.

Treatment: Gastric lavage with potassium permanganate, keep warm, and inject a large dose of atropine; for severe paralysis, give stimulants, inhalation, artificial respiration, and infusion; for shock, use ephedrine.

From the above introduction, we can see that there is a certain amount for the use of aconite. If the dosage is too large, it can easily lead to poisoning, and in severe cases it may even lead to death. Therefore, it is best not to use this medicine blindly. It should be used reasonably under the guidance of a doctor.