Aconitum napellus

Aconitum napellus is a tall, flowering plant known for its striking blue to purple hood-shaped blossoms. It is one of the most poisonous plants in Europe, containing the alkaloid aconitine, which affects the nervous system and heart. Even minimal exposure to the raw plant—especially the root—can be fatal.

Proved by Samuel Hahnemann and published in Materia Medica Pura (early 1800s). Proving was conducted using repeated doses of the mother tincture and potentised preparations.

Aconitum napellus is the great remedy of the threshold—the moment before disease settles, when the body is in turmoil, and the mind is seized by fear. It suits individuals with a strong, vital response to danger who are thrown into panic by sudden shocks. It is the remedy of storms—emotional, physical, and environmental. Its genius lies in the acute stage, when the system reacts violently and defensively to invasion or injury.

Nervous system (especially sensory nerves)
Circulation and heart
Lungs and pleura
Mucous membranes (upper respiratory tract)
Mind and emotions (acute fear and panic)

Fear is the keynote of Aconitum napellus, particularly fear of death. The patient is seized by sudden, intense panic—an overwhelming certainty that death is imminent. Kent remarked that Aconite suits “those who predict the hour of their death, and are sure they will die.” [Kent] The fear may follow a fright or shock, such as an accident, earthquake, or bad news. Boericke described the mental state as one of “unaccountable anxiety and restlessness,” while Hering added that such patients often wake from sleep screaming. The mind is in turmoil: extreme fear, restlessness, and anguish dominate. There is a desire for company, yet the presence of others does little to soothe the inner dread. Fears are irrational but overwhelming—fear of crowds, tunnels, elevators, or hospitals. Anxiety may be accompanied by trembling, palpitations, and shortness of breath. The mental state alternates between acute terror and a need to control the environment to stave off perceived catastrophe.

Restless and full of anxious dreams. Patient wakes with a start or scream. Clarke noted that children who wake in terror at night and cannot be consoled often benefit from Aconite.

Dreams of death, disaster, or pursuit. Patients may dream of suffocating or drowning. Dreams may precede waking with a sense of doom.

Symptoms come on suddenly, often after exposure to cold wind or shock/fright. The picture is intense, violent, and acute. The patient is oversensitive to pain, touch, and light. Complaints often localise quickly and may evolve into other remedy pictures. This remedy is best for early, acute stages of illness before structural pathology has developed.

Sudden, intense fevers with dry, burning heat and marked restlessness. No sweat. Pulse is bounding. Kent considered it a first-stage fever remedy, before localisation of pathology. The fever may follow exposure to cold, dry wind.

Chilliness with shivering, then sudden high heat with dry skin. Sweat is rare, and when it does appear, it is cold and clammy. Clarke noted alternation between heat and chill with marked anxiety.

Headaches are violent and come on suddenly, often after exposure to cold, dry wind. Pain is bursting or throbbing, felt chiefly in the forehead or temples. Kent emphasised that the head feels full, with a sensation of heat and pressure upward. Boericke noted that headaches are worse from motion and noise, and better from lying quietly. The face is often red and hot during these episodes. The scalp may be sensitive to touch, and the patient often removes coverings to cool the head, yet the body remains chilly.

The eyes are congested, red, and inflamed. Vision may be blurred or dim during fever states. Photophobia is marked, and the eyeballs may ache or feel full. Boericke noted lachrymation with a burning sensation. In acute ophthalmia or conjunctivitis, especially from cold wind, Aconite is a first remedy. Pupils may be dilated during acute fear or fright.

Acute otitis media or neuralgic ear pain, especially after cold wind. Kent wrote of stitching or burning pains in the ears. Hearing may become acute (hyperacusis), or sounds may seem distant or echoing. There may be a sense of blockage or fullness in the ears.

Coryza with violent sneezing, often with heat, dryness, and tingling inside the nose. Discharge may be scanty or completely absent. Nasal congestion may be accompanied by fear and restlessness. Hering mentioned nosebleeds during acute fevers or from fright.

The face alternates between red and pale. Kent describes this as a remedy of “sudden flushings.” Facial expressions often show fear or anguish. The skin may feel hot and dry, with tingling or numbness around the lips. Neuralgia of the face, especially right-sided, with burning and tingling, is characteristic.

Mouth is dry, with burning of the tongue and lips. Speech may be hurried, nervous, or incoherent. Bitter or metallic taste may occur during fever states. Clarke noted a sensation as if the tongue were thick or too large. Thirst for cold water is intense.

Toothache from exposure to cold, with tearing, shooting pains. Clarke mentioned facial pain radiating from the teeth, especially on the right side. Cold air and warm rooms aggravate.

Throat is dry, hot, and constricted. Swallowing is painful, and the tonsils are often red and swollen. Hoarseness and tickling cough are common. Boericke noted that throat symptoms appear suddenly and are accompanied by burning or pricking sensations.

Oppression of the chest with fear of suffocation. The patient sits upright and gasps for breath. Kent wrote of stabbing pleuritic pains worse from inspiration. Palpitations are intense and audible. Clarke reported dry, hard coughs that come on suddenly at night.

Pulse is full, bounding, or irregular. Palpitations are violent, often from anxiety. Hering described cardiac symptoms following fright, especially in young people. The sensation that the heart will stop is common.

Short, quick, and anxious breathing. Fear of suffocation predominates. Kent noted sighing and gasping. Respiration is shallow and fast, worse at night. Dry, tickling cough may arise from the larynx.

Nausea and vomiting with great anxiety, especially during fever or fright. A sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach is often present. Appetite is lost during acute illness. Clarke observed hiccough and retching in violent fevers.

Abdomen is sensitive and tight, with anxiety and restlessness. Cutting pains and colic may occur suddenly. Kent noted abdominal complaints after fright or shock.

Stool may be suppressed or absent during acute febrile conditions. In some cases, there is diarrhoea during fright or after exposure to cold. Hering noted that the stool may be small, thin, and expelled with difficulty.

Frequent urination with scanty, dark urine. Great anxiety before and during urination. Retention of urine, especially in new-borns or post-partum women. Kent described burning in the urethra, worse after exposure to cold.

Thirst for cold water in small quantities, though it may be vomited soon after. Appetite is absent. Desire for lemonade or sour drinks may occasionally appear.

Painful erections and inflammation of the testicles, especially after exposure to cold or fright. Clarke reported intense fear during coitus in some cases. Suppressed sexual desire due to anxiety or fear.

Menses may be suppressed from fright or cold. Sharp, cutting pains in the uterus. Fear during labour or before gynaecological exams is common. Clarke noted that Aconite is a key remedy for sudden fevers or restlessness during pregnancy.

Stiffness in the nape of the neck, often with chills running up and down the spine. Clarke mentioned acute backache following exposure to cold air. There may be burning along the spine.

Numbness, tingling, or crawling sensations. Limbs may feel heavy or tremble from fear. Hering observed that the hands and feet are often icy cold, even when the face is hot. Neuralgia of the limbs, particularly right-sided, may be present.

Dry, hot, and burning skin. Rashes that appear suddenly and spread rapidly. Urticaria following fright is characteristic. Boericke noted that the skin often has no perspiration in acute conditions, even during fever.

• Belladonna: Also sudden, violent onset—but with more throbbing, red face, and delirium.
• Gelsemium: Gradual onset, dull, with heaviness and weakness rather than fear.
• Argentum nitricum: Anxiety and fear of death, but more anticipatory and chronic.
• Arsenicum album: Fear and restlessness, but more chronic and burning in nature.
• Phosphorus: Also fears death and storms, but more open, weepy, and impressionable.

• Complementary: Sulphur, Belladonna
• Antidotes: Camphor, Nux vomica
• Inimical: Coffea (rarely follows well)
• Follows well: Belladonna, Bryonia
• Precedes well: Sulphur, Phosphorus

Ideal in the first hours of acute illness after exposure to cold wind, fright, or shock. Use in sudden high fevers, croup, pneumonia, neuralgia, and acute anxiety attacks. Excellent for post-trauma emotional states, especially following near-death experiences or witnessing accidents. In 30C or 200C, acts quickly; LM potencies useful for ongoing anxiety. Avoid overuse in chronic states.

Mind

• MIND – Fear of death, predicts the hour
• MIND – Anxiety, with palpitations
• MIND – Restlessness, intense
• MIND – Ailments from fright

Head

• HEAD – Pain, forehead, from cold wind
• HEAD – Congestion, sudden

Eyes

• EYES – Red, congested
• EYES – Photophobia, with burning

Chest

• CHEST – Oppression, fear of suffocation
• CHEST – Palpitation, violent

Generalities

• GENERALITIES – Sudden onset
• GENERALITIES – Cold wind, from exposure to
• GENERALITIES – Dryness, of mucous membranes

Samuel Hahnemann, Materia Medica Pura
James Tyler Kent, Lectures on Homoeopathic Materia Medica
William Boericke, Materia Medica
John Henry Clarke, A Dictionary of Practical Materia Medica
Constantine Hering, Guiding Symptoms of Our Materia Medica