The Aconitum species of plant produces several toxic alkaline chemicals including aconitine, mesaconitine and hypaconitine, commonly referred to as aconite poison. Ingestion or absorption via the skin of significant quantities of aconite poison can be fatal due to its potent toxic effects on the nervous system and cardiac muscle, which disrupt normal cellular electrical rhythms.
Actonium
More than 100 species of Aconitum have been identified, growing predominantly in fertile land in mountain pastures across Europe, Asia and North America. The plants have glossy dark green leaves on the topside and are whitish green on the underside. The aconite poison is distributed throughout the plant, and particularly concentrated in the roots and tubers, according to the website Goatworld.
Effects
A few minutes after ingestion, the victim experiences a feeling of skin numbness, tingling in the mouth and pins and needles starting from the extremities and spreading throughout the body. Sweating, falling body temperature, and nausea and vomiting are experienced, followed by severe pain, diarrhea and body cramps. In severe cases, the victim may experience complete respiratory arrest and death by cardiac arrest, according to an April 2009 article published in "Clinical Toxicology."
Actions
Aconite poison exerts its deadly actions by disrupting a protein involved in the transmission of electrical impulses in nerve cells and cardiac muscle. Electrical signals are propagated in the body via the movement of electrolytes, such as sodium and potassium, across cell membranes. Aconite binds to and blocks a protein, which allows the electrolyte sodium to cross cell membranes, thereby disrupting electric signaling within these cells and leading to potentially lethal consequences, according to a February 2001 article published in "Molecular Pharmacology."
Treatment
No known cure exists for aconite poisoning, and treatment consists on stabilizing the patient while the poison is broken down by the body's systems. Following hospital admission, vital statistics including heart rhythm, blood pressure and respiration are continually monitored. Irregular heart rhythms leading to cardiac arrest are a common symptom and cause of death in cases of aconite poisoning. Patients who exhibit these symptoms are treated with antiarrhythmic drugs, such as amiodarone and flecainide, in an attempt to restore a normal heart rhythm. A temporary heart and lung bypass is sometimes necessary in severe cases, giving time for the body to break down the poison, according to a December 2009 article published in "Human Experimental Toxicology."
Mortality
Oral doses of as little as 5 to 6 thousandths of a gram of aconitine are reportedly fatal in humans, according to an April 2000 article published in "Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine."
References
- "Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine"; Peculiarities of Cardiotropic Effect of Aconitine; Y. Sheikh-Zade et al.; April 2000
- "Human Experimental Toxicology"; Aconite Poisoning Presenting as Hypotension and Bradycardia; T. Chan; December 2009
- "Molecular Pharmacology"; Irreversible Block of Human Heart (hH1) Sodium Channels by the Plant Alkaloid Lappaconitine; S. Wright; February 2001
- "Clinical Toxicology"; Aconite Poisoning; Y. Chen; April 2009
- Goatworld: Aconite
