Rediscovery of Materia Medica (3)

Jana S N1,Rath P2
Aconitum Napellus
Is generally indicated in acute or recent cases occurring in young persons, especially girls of a full
plethoric habit who lead a sedentary life ; persons easily affected by atmospheric changes; dark hair
and eyes, rigid muscular fibre.
Acute diseases usually are associated with fever and rash which is seen in the following symptoms of the
drug laid down in the text, moreover an acute disease can be a respiratory tract infection or an urinary
tract infection or an infection of the ear or eye or elsewhere; even hypersensitivity reactions can
present acutely. Hence acute diseases has a broad range and can present with many pictures, we need
only time them in the definition of acute disease but keeping in mind the individualistic indications of
Aconite.
Acute diseases in young persons are more common because of more vigorous immune reactions in
younger people and less common in old age because of the less compliant systems as well as relatively
poor immune response in old age. In younger adults, individual diseases tend to have a more distinct
pathophysiology with well-defined risk factors; the same diseases in older persons may have a less
distinct pathophysiology and are often the result of failed homeostatic mechanisms.
Acute diseases are more common in girls of a full plethoric habit who lead a sedentary life in Aconite is
in consonance with what have already been observed as in younger adults but why so in plethoric girls
with sedentary habits may be attributed to one of the following factors - Plethora is a clinical condition
where we come across rubor and the cause behind plethora is high-O2affinity hemoglobin. High O2affinity hemoglobin variants should be suspected in patients with erythrocytosis. Erythrocytosis
represents an appropriate attempt to compensate for the impaired oxygen delivery by the abnormal
variant. This may be the explanation that inspite of the apparent plethora the person is easily affected
by acute diseases.
As to what happens in a sedentary lifestyle is as follows Release of phosphate from ATP provides
every living cell with energy required for life. ATP stored in cells is enough only for 6 seconds; hence ATP
is resynthesized mostly through aerobic metabolism, decline in the rate of aerobic metabolism leads to
a sense of fatigue or lack of energy. It is obvious to state that peak oxygen consumption which is an
indirect estimation of fitness is achieved through physical activity. Also it has been observed that peak
oxygen consumption decreases with increasing age and in an accelerated fashion in those people who
lead a sedentary lifestyle. Hence a sedentary lifestyle render a person to consume less oxygen making
him/her vulnerable to fatigue, early ageing and also incompetent to fight any sort of
infection/inflammation because a diseased condition has increased metabolic demand of energy which
can principally be met by aerobic metabolism which also give rise to altered homoeostasis. So
contracting infection is more common in altered homoeostatic state. It is beyond any doubt that
infection is more common in people who lead a sedentary life.

Persons easily affected by atmospheric changes may be explained as follows

1. The circulatory reactions in the nasal mucous membrane produced by changes in atmospheric
environment are too frequent and definite to be disregarded as a probable predisposing factor
in the incidence of bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract.
2. Change of temperature is the most important condition in the production of these reactions.
3. The effects produced upon the nasal mucosa by changes of temperature and by draughts is
direct rather than a reflex from distant surfaces of the body.
4. Experts believe it is because rapid temperature swings weaken our immune system, the cold
virus also transmits better in cold air.
So as to dark hair is concerned it is of terminal category. Growth of terminal hair is chiefly androgendependent; hair growths on face, chest, upper abdomen and back requires higher levels of androgens
and is therefore more characteristic of the pattern typically seen in men. In general dark-haired
individuals tend to be more hirsute than blond or fair individuals. Asians and native Americans have
relatively sparse hair in regions sensitive to high androgen levels, while people of Mediterranean
descent are more hirsute. So a racial and geographic implication of dark hair is found to be there as well
as people who remain in the normal but higher range of Androgens may feature dark hair.
So as to rigid muscular fibre is concerned this may be seen as follows
Human resting muscle tone is the passive tonus or tension of skeletal muscle that derives from its
intrinsic molecular viscoelastic properties. This passive tension is the CNS-independent component
resulting from intrinsic muscle interactions of the actomyosin filaments in sarcomeric units of skeletal
muscle and myofibroblast cells. Research into passive muscle tone concludes that intramuscular
connective tissue, in particular the fascial layer known as the perimysium may be capable of active
contraction and consequently influence passive muscle stiffness, especially in tonic muscles. It is a fact
that tonic muscles contain more perimysium and are therefore stiffer than phasic muscles.
Complaints caused by exposure to dry cold air, dry north or west winds, or exposure to drafts of cold air
while in a perspiration, bad effects of checked perspiration.
Complaints that can be caused by exposure to dry cold air, dry north or west winds are that of exposure
to cold that may precipitate accidental hypothermia when there is an unintentional drop in the bodys
core temperature below 350 C or 950 F. At this temperature, many of the compensatory physiologic
mechanisms that conserve heat begin to fail. Primary accidental hypothermia is a result of the direct
exposure of a previously healthy individual to the cold. Primary accidental hypothermia is geographically
and seasonally pervasive. Although most cases occur in the winter months and in colder climates, it is
surprisingly common in warmer regions as well. Multiple variables make individuals at the extremes of
age, the elderly and neonates, particularly vulnerable to hypothermia.The elderly have diminished
thermal perception and are more susceptible to immobility, malnutrition, and systemic illnesses that
interfere with heat generation or conservation. Dementia, psychiatric illness, and socioeconomic factors
often compound these problems by impeding adequate measures to prevent hypothermia. Neonates
have high rates of heat loss because of their increased surface-to-mass ratio and their lack of effective
shivering and adaptive behavioral responses. At all ages, malnutrition can contribute to heat loss
because of diminished subcutaneous fat and as a result of depleted energy stores used for
thermogenesis.

So as to bad effects of checked perspiration, this may be like that when a persons sweat is suddenly
checked by any means e.g; exposure to Air-conditioners or by cooling the body by any means, there is a
sudden change in the hemodynamics that the process of loss of heat is checked all on a sudden, and this
alteration may subject a person to fall prey to infections by opportunistic organisms in a person with
relatively inefficient immune system.
Great fear and anxiety of mind, with great nervous excitability; afraid to go out, to go into a crowd
where there is any excitement or many people; to cross the street.
Aconitum Napellus is a medicine for anxiety disorders which is the most prevalent psychiatric illness in
general community. Anxiety is defined as a subjective sense of unease, dread, or foreboding; can
indicate a primary psychiatric condition or can be a component of, or reaction to, a primary medical
disease. When we finish reading the whole drug, we see a host of symptoms that can be fitted into Panic
Disorder like distinct episodes of intense fear and discomfort associated with a variety of physical
symptoms, including palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness and a
fear of impending doom or death; many of these are found in pathogenesis of Aconite. Hence these
symptoms of Aconite and some others which follows in this drug are features of Anxiety disorders in
general and Panic Disorders in particular.
general and Panic Disorders in particular.
The countenance is expressive of fear; the life is rendered miserable by fear; is sure his disease will
prove fatal; predicts the day he will die; fear of death during pregnancy.
These symptoms go well with the Anxiety disorders and Panic disorders mentioned earlier.
Restless, anxious, does everything in great haste; must change position often; everything startles him.
These are also symptoms of Anxiety disorders and found in Panic disorders.
Pains: are intolerable, they drive him crazy; he becomes very restless; at night.
There are principally two processes which can give rise to intolerable pain: namely pain sensitization and
the silent nociceptors that innervate the viscera under the influence of inflammatory mediators can
cause severe pain; as of the craziness with pain the Aconite patient being an anxious patient can come
down with symptoms of pain driving the patient crazy. Restlessness at night due to pain is a common
phenomenon since at night patient is retired at bed and also the patient being sleepless has to endure
longer periods of pain.
Hahnemannn says : Whenever Aconite is choosen homeopathically, you must, above all observe the
moral symptoms, and be careful that it closely resembles them; the anguish of mind and body; the
restlessness; the disquiet not to be allayed.
This mental anxiety, worry, fear accompanies the most trivial ailment.
These two features are very much in consonant with the Anxiety disorders of Aconite.

Music is unbearable, makes her sad.

Sadness is a constitutive feature of Major Depression/ Minor Depression / as a component of heavy
alcohol drinking and subsequent withdrawal. Sad people being a patient of Major/Minor Depression
may get sadness from various types of potential stimulus, in Aconite we see it is from music specifically,
the same may be found to be enhanced after different other stimulus in general in depressive
disorders.
On rising from a recumbent position the red face become deathly pale; or he becomes faint or giddy
and falls, and he fears to rise again; often accompanied by vanishing of sight and unconsciousness.
The upright posture causes pooling of 500-1000 ml. of blood in lower extremities and visceral
circulation, consequently a decrease in venous return and reduced ventricular feeling that result in
diminished cardiac output and blood pressure. These hemodynamic changes initiate a compensatory
reflex response, through the baroreceptors in the carotid sinus and aortic arch, resulting in increased
sympathetic outflow and decreased vagal tone. This reflex causes rise in peripheral resistance, venous
return to the heart and cardiac output and thus limits the fall in blood pressure. When this response fails
as can occur transiently in neurally mediated syncope as in vasovagal syncope cerebral hypoperfusion
occurs. It is relevant to mention here that vasovagal syncope may follow fear, pain, intense emotion,
sight of blood, unpleasant sights and odors, orthostatic stress, all of these conditions are very much to
the pathogenesis of Aconite. In this case it is vasovagal syncope.
Amenorrhoea in plethoric young girls; after fright, to prevent suppression of menses.
Psychogenic Amenorrhoea is a recognized entity that has been summarized taking into account the
important role of psychological factors in inducing loss of menses. Hence this is possible that fright can
give rise to amenorrhea, and Aconite being a patient of Anxiety disorders can very well prevent the loss
of menses that may arise out of fright/ psychogenic amenorrhea.
Fever: skin dry and hot; face red, or pale and red alternately ; burning thirst for large quantities of cold
water ; intense nervous restlessness, tossing about in agony ; becomes intolerable towards evening and
on going to sleep.
These are relatively common symptoms of various febrile conditions, and a majority of them is
aggravated during night, and Aconite being a medicine in which there is high fever associated with dry
skin and mucous membrane, thirst is a relatively common phenomenon.
Convulsions of teething children ; heat, jerks and twitches of single muscles ; child gnaws its fist, frets
and screams, skin hot and dry; high fever.
Convulsions of teething children is not a feature of teething itself but may be associated with teething
when the child is suffering from meningitis as there is also very high fever or brain abscess which may
only be a synchronous suffering. In febrile conditions there may be an association of fasciculations. So as
to child gnawing its fist may be due to irritation along the gum line during the teething period.

Cough, croup; dry, hoarse,suffocating; loud, rough, croaking; hard, ringing, whistling; on expiration; from
dry cold winds or drafts of air.
Croup is common in children and also in immunocompromised people, the commonest cause is
Parainfluenza virus Type 1, a brassy or barking cough may progress to stridor, if bronchiolitis occurs
progressive cough accompanied by wheezing, tachypnea and intercostals retraction occurs. Dry cough is
an initial presentation, which can give rise to stridor; with these common features of the disease loud,
rough, croaking, hard, ringing, whistling cough is common; as of cough on expiration this is a common
symptom as cough reflex is associated with forced expiration. For causation from dry cold air that has
already been discussed.
Aconite should never be given simply to control the fever, never alternated with other drugs for that
purpose. If it be a case requiring Aconite no other drug is needed; Aconite will cure the case.
Unless indicated by the exciting cause is nearly always injurious in first stages of typhoid fever.
Above two observations are that of Hahnemann and other authors and hence does not pertain to the
purview of this discussion.

1. Jana S N : Lecturer, Practice of Medicine, Dr B R Sur Homoeopathic Medical College, New Delhi
2. Rath P : Research Officer(Hom) under Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, A1/1,
Sector-24, Noida

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H C Allen : Keynotes and characteristics with Comparisons of some of the leading remedies of
Materia Medica
Harrisons : Principles of Internal Medicine ; Mc Graw Hill, 18th edition,
Stephen J McPhee, Maxine A Papadakis; : Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment; Mc Graw
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Masi A T, Hannon JC, : Human Resting Muscle Tone(HMRT): narrative introduction and modern
concepts : J. Bodywork Movement Ther. 12(2008) PMC
Schleip R, Naylor IL, Ursu D, Melzer W, Zorn A, Wilke HJ, Lehmann-Horn F, Klingler W. : Passive
Muscle stiffness may be influenced by active contractility of intramuscular connective tissue;
PMID, Epub, 2005, Oct. 4
J. A. Miller and G.H. Cocks, : Effect of Changes in Atmospheric Conditions upon the Upper
Respiratory Tract; Transaction of the American Clinical and Climatological Association, 1915