Witnessed by: TCM
Kusnezoff monkshood (Aconitum kusnezoffii), of the Ranunculaceae family. Erect perennial with deeply cut leaves, hooded purple-blue flowers and a paired tuberous root; native range: grassland and mountain slopes of northern and northeastern China, Korea and eastern Siberia. Globally recognized as cao wu (草烏), the wild aconite mother-root; here prepared (pao) and skinned in Chinese, and wild aconite, Kusnezoff monkshood in English. The part used is prepared mother-root (processed and skinned). Dark, horny processed slices, acrid and tongue-numbing when any toxin remains.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
KUSNEZOFF MONKSHOOD
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Kusnezoff monkshood
- Scientific name
- Aconitum kusnezoffii Rchb.
- Family
- Ranunculaceae
Form
- Part used
- prepared mother-root (processed and skinned)
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent · bitter
Temperature
- TCM
- hot (toxic)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Heart · Liver · Spleen
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- dispels wind-damp, warms the channels, disperses cold and relieves pain
Cautions
- Contraindications
- contraindicated in pregnancy and in heat patterns; classically incompatible with ban xia, gua lou, bei mu, bai lian and bai ji
- Toxicity
- the diterpene alkaloid aconitine is cardiotoxic and neurotoxic; only the properly processed, long-decocted root is safe, and the raw root is a lethal poison
This is the card. Sign in for the full four-tradition entry — the aligned TCM · Ayurveda · Western · Unani reading, actions, dosing and cautions.