Aconitum napellus

Latin name: Aconitum napellus

Short name: Acon.

Common name: Monkshood | Aconite | Wolfsbane | Blue rocket | Friar's cap

Primary miasm: Acute

Kingdom: Plants

Family: Ranunculaceae (Buttercup family)

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Symptomatology
Remedy Information
Differentiation & Application

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Mind

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.

Sleep

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

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

Generalities

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.

Fever

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.

Chill Heat Sweat

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.

Head

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.

Eyes

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.

Ears

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.

Nose

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.

Face

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

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.

Teeth

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

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.

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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.

Historically, Aconite was used in traditional medicine to treat fevers and pain, though this fell out of favour due to its toxicity. In antiquity, it was used as a poison on spears and arrows, and in hunting wolves—hence the name “wolfsbane.” Its modern non-homeopathic use is virtually nonexistent due to its dangerous nature.

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.

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

Open air; perspiration; rest; lying on the affected side; warmth (but not hot rooms); sitting still.

Cold, dry wind; sudden shock or fright; night (especially after midnight); warm rooms; touch; motion; suppressed perspiration; music.

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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

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.

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

Aconitum napellus

Mind

Sleep

Dreams

Generalities

Fever

Chill Heat Sweat

Head

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Face

Mouth

Teeth

Throat

Chest

Heart

Respiration

Stomach

Abdomen

Rectum

Urinary

Food

Male

Female

Back

Extremities

Skin

Mind

Sleep

Dreams

Generalities

Fever

Chill Heat Sweat

Head

Eyes

Ears

Nose

Face

Mouth

Teeth

Throat

Chest

Heart

Respiration

Stomach

Abdomen

Rectum

Urinary

Food

Male

Female

Back

Extremities

Skin

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