Indian Aconite or Vatsanabha is perennial medicinal herb found in subalpine and alpine regions of western Himalayas. The dried roots of Aconite species is used for medicinal purpose. The family of Aconite plant is Ranunculaceae. Aconite roots contains very toxic and poisonous substances.
Distribution of Aconite
There are 2-3 varieties of Indian Aconite that are used for medicinal use ie Aconite chasmanthus (Banbalnag), Aconite heterophyllum (Atis), Aconitum ferox (Vatsanaabha, Visha).
These species are found in higher range of north-western Himalaya at altitude of 2000 to 4000 meters.
Vernacular names
| Sanskrit: Amra, Visha,Vatsanagaka Assamese: Mithavish, Bish Bengali: Kathavish English: Aconite Gujrati: Vachhanaag, Basanaag Hindi: Bisa, Meethabisha, Bachhnaag, Teliya Bish Kannada: Basanalli, Vatsanabha, Vatsanabhi, Vachanaga | Malayalam: Vatsanabhi Marathi: Bachnaga Oriya: Tahara, Mahura, Mithvisa Punjabi: Mitha Visha, Mithatelia Tamil: Vasanaavi, Vatsanabhi, Nabhi, Vasanabhi Telugu: Vatsanaabhi, Naabhi Urdu: Bachnak, Mithalelia, Beesh, Atees |
In Ayurveda, Aconite or Vatsanabha is used in preparation of various Ayurvedic medicine such as TribhuvanKirti Ras, Anand Bhairav Ras, Sutsekhara Ras, Vatavidhwansana Rasa etc. Aconite is useful in treating Vataroga, Paralyisis, fever, joint pain, skin diseases and numbness. It is also used externally on pain affected areas.
Aconite roots contain alkaloids which are VERY TOXIC. These are strong and fast acting poison. For medicinal purpose this is used in very controlled doses. Its oral use can lead to very serious side-effects. So it is recommended, please do not use Aconite herb for self-treatment.