White Aconite, a traditional Chinese medicine, belongs to the category of antispasmodic drugs. It can dispel wind, calm seizures, detoxify, dissolve accumulations, and relieve pain. It grows wild in Gansu, Ningxia, Sichuan, Guizhou, and other regions. But why does it need to be decocted before use?
Image of White Aconite
【Why does White Aconite need to be decocted before use?】
White Aconite is a very hot medicinal herb and has a certain level of toxicity. It is best to decoct it before use in order to fully release its toxicity. Generally, it should be decocted for 30-60 minutes, and it is ready when it no longer has a tingling sensation.
Remove impurities from raw White Aconite. Take clean White Aconite, separate them into different sizes, and soak them. Change the water 2-3 times a day. After a few days, if there is a sticky foam, add alum (2mg per 100mg of White Aconite) after changing the water. After soaking for one day, change the water again until there is a slight tingling sensation when tasted, then take it out.
Put slices of fresh ginger and alum powder in a pot with an appropriate amount of water. Bring it to a boil, then add the White Aconite and simmer until it is dry. Remove the ginger slices, let it cool until it is about 60-70% dry, then cut it into thick slices and dry it. Use 12.5mg of fresh ginger and alum per 100mg of White Aconite.
【The efficacy and functions of White Aconite】
White Aconite is mainly used to dispel wind-phlegm, open meridians, detoxify, and relieve pain. It is used for conditions such as wind-phlegm obstruction, deviation of the mouth and eyes, migraine, tetanus, snake bites, scrofula tuberculosis, and abscesses.
Image of White Aconite
White Aconite is used for wind-phlegm obstruction, deviation of the mouth and eyes, difficult speech, phlegm-induced headache, headache on one side of the head, throat obstruction, and sore throat. It can also be used externally for scrofula and phlegm nodules, as well as snake bites.
【The morphology of White Aconite】
White Aconite is a perennial herb with tall plants. The underground tubers resemble taro and are oval to elliptical, covered with dark brown scales. The number of leaves ranges from 1 to 7 (depending on the age); the leaf stalks are thick and fleshy, with pale pink or purple streaks in the lower part, reaching up to 40cm in length;
The leaf blades are triangular-ovate, lanceolate, or broadly elliptical, measuring 10-40cm in length and 7-30cm in width. They initially curl inward like horns and then unfold, with a gradually pointed tip. The flower stalks emerge from the tubers and are green with red patches; the involucre is purple-red, with a cylindrical or elongated oval tube and a gradually pointed and curved top, reaching up to 15cm in length; the limb is ovate;
The spike inflorescence is located inside the involucre, measuring about 14cm in length; the female and neutral inflorescences are about 3cm long; the male inflorescence is about 2cm long; the accessory organs are cylindrical, erect, about 6cm long, and purple, not protruding from the involucre; the male flowers are golden yellow, with two anthers, and the anther chambers split at the top; the neutral flowers are pendulous and pale yellow; the female flowers are reddish-brown.
The berries turn red when ripe. The flowering period is from June to August, and the fruiting period is from July to October.
