Aconitum Hetorophyllum

(Ind. P.) Habitat . Western temperate Himalaya, at 8000 to 13,000 feet elevation; from Indus to Kumaon. Officinal part. The dried root ( Aconiti heterophylli Radix ). Ovoid tuberous roots, tapering downwards to a point, from one to one and a half inches or more in length, and from three eighths to half an inch in thickne . The surface, which is covered with a thin greyish epidermis, is slightly wrinkled longitudinally, and marked here and there with root scars. It is inodorous, and of a bitter taste, devoid of acridity. Does not contain aconitia. It may be readily distinguished from other roots sold in the bazaars under the same vernacular name (Atis) by its characteristic bitterne . Properties. Tonic and antiperiodic. It may be administered internally with safety, as it contains no poisonous principle. Therapeutic uses . In convalescence after debilitating diseases, and in intermittent and other paroxysmal fevers, it has been found an efficient remedy. Doses. Tonic, 5 to 10 grains thrice daily; antiperiodic, 20 to 30 grains of the powdered root every three or four hours, irrespective of the presence of pyrexia.