The toxicology and detoxification of Aconitum: traditional and modern views

Abstract

Aconitum carmichaeli Debx.-derived herbal medicine has been used for anti-inflammation and anti-arrhythmia purpose for more than two thousand years. It is processed into Chuanwu (Radix Aconiti praeparata) and Fuzi (Radix Aconiti lateralis praeparata) in Traditional Chinese Medicine, which are two useful drugs but with toxic properties. There have been patients poisoned by accidental ingestion of Aconitum plants or misuse of the herbal drug, and this is of great concern to study in-depth. In this review, we provided the traditional and contemporary practice of using Aconitum herbs as medicine, from functions, processing methods to toxicity in ethnomedicine aspects to discuss the underlying connections of traditional and modern understanding on the toxicity of Aconitum plants. We summarized the functions and toxicology of the herbal drugs are analyzed from chemical and clinical aspects, with the help of traditional and modern knowledge of medicine. The medicinal doses and lethal doses determined by researches are summarized, and the usage and processing methods are updated and reviewed in the modern view. In addition, clinical management of poisoned cases using western medicine is discussed. This review provides insights and awareness of safety when using Aconitum-derived herbal medicine, and the application of modern scientific knowledge to optimize the detoxification processes. We suggest the possibility to renew the current standard processing method from the official Pharmacopoeia all over the world.

Therapeutics for Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: Approaches with Natural Compounds from Traditional Eastern Medicine

“…In a clinical retrospective case series study, Aconiti radix-containing herbal formulas were shown to be beneficial for human patients with CIPN symptoms [ 131 ]. Although the effects were proven in the clinical and preclinical settings as shown above, Aconitum should be carefully administered to patients because it is toxic and can be lethal if not processed properly [ 132 , 133 ].…”

Research and application of tongue and face diagnosis based on deep learning

“…The facial diagnostic instrument is designed based on the theory of TCM facial diagnosis, integrating facial diagnosis image acquisition, image segmentation, and information processing. 17 , 18 The light source in the facial diagnostic instrument can affect the realism of facial color, 19 so it is crucial to keep the stability of the light source. Li et al 20 employed light-emitting diodes with color temperatures 4000 K – 11,000 K as the light source of the dark box system for facial diagnosis information collection, which enhanced the standardization of facial diagnosis information collection; Shi et al 21 concluded that D50 can be treated as an illumination light source for objectified acquisition in comparison with natural light; Zheng et al 22 used a xenon lamp with a color temperature of 5500 K to simulate a daylight light source and used a digital camera with a resolution of 4752 × 3168 to acquire images.…”

In vitro shoot regeneration from organogenic callus culture and rooting of Carpathian endemic Aconitum bucovinense Zapał.

“…They are one of the most toxic plants used by humans in food and medicine (Kang et al 2012, Ali et al 2021. With the growing understanding of detoxi cation methods, the medical use of aconite is increasing (Chan et al 2021).…”