- Region
- Asia
- Origin
- China
Asia · Herb · № 747
Aconitum carmichaelii (bereide zijwortel)
Herb · Asia
Prepared aconite (fu zi)
Aconitum carmichaelii (bereide zijwortel)
Traditionally attributed effects: the most strongly warming remedy in Chinese medicine, for collapse of yang and pain from cold.
Safety notes
Toxic or risky: only under expert supervision. Deliberately no dosage is given here. Aconite is life-threatening: even small amounts can cause heart rhythm disorders and death, also after processing. Do not use it yourself, not during pregnancy, not with yin deficiency or heat. Poisoning is an emergency (112). Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (1)
- Chinese materia medica: Only by qualified therapists, after long pre-boiling.
Preparation
Processed lateral root. Deliberately no dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
Described in the classical Chinese materia medica, in the group 'herbs that warm the interior'. Raw aconite is deadly poisonous because of aconitine; only lateral roots that have been boiled or processed for a long time are used. Fu zi is considered the strongest remedy for warming yang and is part of Si Ni Tang and the Japanese Hachimijiogan. Incorrectly prepared fu zi still regularly causes serious heart rhythm disorders.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- pungent, very hot
- Meridians
- heart, kidney, spleen
Attributed effects
For collapse of yang (cold, limp limbs, shock, a very weak pulse), pain from cold in joints and meridians, and dampness from yang deficiency of spleen or kidney with diarrhoea or oedema.
Preparation and amount
Deliberately no dosage is given here: only under the supervision of a qualified therapist. It is processed with salt and boiled with licorice and black beans to reduce its toxicity; licorice and dried ginger in a formula reduce the risk further. The book gives examples of very high doses and tells of a student therapist whose patient suffered lasting harm; we deliberately do not reproduce those doses.
Combinations
- With cinnamon bark for cold from yang deficiency
- With dried ginger and licorice for collapse of yang
Caution: Only by qualified therapists, after long pre-boiling.