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Aconite
EDUCATIONAL ROUTE
I. MEDICINAL PLANTS
AND THEIR USE
II. THE APPLIED ARTS
IN THE FIELD OF MEDICINAL PLANTS:
BOTANICAL ILLUSTRATIONS
ON PAPER, CERAMIC AND GLASS
III. THE SPICE ROUTES
IV. THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE
RESERVATIONS
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Wolf's bane as a medicinal plant
Wolf's bane
(
Aconitum capellus
) has been known since antiquity to be capable of
causing death
. It was associated with Cerberus, the dog that guarded the gates of Hell. Fortunately, the section of the plant where the
poison
is concentrated is the
root
, which is only gathered with difficulty, however, it was often confused with other species of plant.
Standard symptoms of poisoning with this plant are torpor, swelling of the tongue, and numbness.
The physician Pietro Andrea Mattioli wrote in 1554 that the plant was able to kill wolves, and that if eaten in small quantities could alter one's consciousness.
It also causes trembling, dizziness and sleepiness.
Despite its toxicity, wolf's bane is recommended as an
analgesic
, against rheumatism,
pains in the joints
, epilepsy and asthma.
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