Page "Aconitum" Paragraph 13

In Western medicine preparations of aconite were used until just after the middle of the 20th century, but it is no longer employed as it has been replaced by safer and more effective drugs and treatments.

The 1911 British Pharmaceutical Codex regarded the medical uses and toxicity of aconite root or leaves to be virtually identical to that of purified aconitine.

Aconite first stimulates and later paralyses / numbs the nerves to the sensations of pain, touch, and temperature if applied to the skin or to a mucous membrane ; the initial tingling therefore gives place to a long-continued anaesthetic action.

Great caution was required, as abraded skin could absorb a dangerous dose of the drug, and merely tasting some of the concentrated preparations available could be fatal.

The local anaesthesia of peripheral nerves can be attributed to at least eleven alkaloids with varying potency and stability.