Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ex Royle

Aconitum heterophyllum Wall. ex Royle

Family: Ranunculaceae

Description:  It is a perennial herb, with erect stem, often simple or with few branches from base. Height up to about 1 m. Roots / Tubers: The part used medicinally is the tuberous root. Roots are conical/tuberous, often mother and daughter tubers in pairs. The shoot is annual, root is biannual (i.e. roots need two years to develop fully). Leaves: lower leaves petiolate, ovate or cordate at base, shallowly lobed or toothed; upper leaves sessile or stem‑clasping, varying shape. “Heterophyllum” means “different leaves” i.e. leaf shape varies. Flowers: loose racemes or panicled racemes; flowers large (≈ 3‑4 cm), hooded (“helmet‑shaped”), colour white to bluish‑violet or green‑blue with purple veins.

Distribution (World & India): Global / general Himalayas: Native to the Western Himalayas; also found in Nepal and adjacent Himalayan regions.

Altitude range: Generally between ~ 2,000 m to ~ 4,500 m above sea level.

In India: Found in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. Occurs on sub‑alpine and alpine grassy slopes, under Rhododendron shrubs, open meadows, etc.

IUCN Status / Conservation:  Species Aconitum heterophyllum is listed as Endangered (EN) under IUCN Red List criteria. Some regional assessments (e.g. in Himachal Pradesh) have put it under Critically Endangered (CR) due to severe decline in wild populations. Major threats include overharvesting of its roots/tubers, habitat loss, overgrazing, low rate of natural regeneration, and high seedling mortality.

Medicinal Properties & Traditional Uses (in India): Aconitum heterophyllum (commonly “Ativisha”, “Atis”, “Patish”) has a long history in Ayurvedic, Unani, Folk, and other traditional systems. Key medicinal attributes and uses include:

Chemical Constituents: Contains various diterpenoid alkaloids: atisine, heteratisine, hetisine, atidine, heterophyllisine, heterophylline, heterophyllinine, etc. Also contains non‑alkaloid compounds: flavonoids, glycosides, sterols, saponins, etc.

Pharmacological / Therapeutic Effects:

Use	Details / Mode of Use
Digestive disorders	Tonic, promotes appetite (dipana/pacana), helps with dyspepsia, indigestion, loss of appetite after illness.
Diarrhoea / Dysentery	Used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery.
Fever / Antiperiodic	Used in intermittent fevers, general fever, possibly malaria.
Respiratory complaints	Cough, cold, throat infection etc.
Anti‑inflammatory, Analgesic	For internal inflammation, pain relief.
Anthelmintic, Anti‑emetic	Against worms, vomiting.
Liver protection, antioxidant effects	Hepatoprotective effects reported in modern studies.
Other uses	Used for stomach ache, headache, piles, hysteria; used sometimes against poisoning (scorpion, snake) in folk practice.

 How it’s Used (Preparation, Parts, Varieties): Part used: Mostly the dried tuberous roots. Sometimes fresh leaves for local / external use (e.g. toothache).

Varieties: There are colour‑varieties of its roots (white, yellow, red, black), white being considered the best in certain traditional texts.

Taste / Potency: Bitter (Tikta), pungent (Katu), cooling potency; though some texts describe its ‘virya’ (energetic property) as hot.

Dose / caution: Although this species is often said to be non‑poisonous compared to some other Aconitum species, it still contains toxic alkaloids and overdose or misuse can cause adverse effects (e.g. tremors, toxicity). Traditional texts often prescribe pre‑treatments or preparations to reduce toxicity.

Uses in India (Examples): It is used in Ayurveda (classical texts and formulations), Unani, Siddha, and folk medicine. For instance, after fevers, for loss of appetite; for diarrhea, dysentery; for coughs and colds; for throat infections; for digestive complaints. Local folk practitioners may use decoctions of the root, powders, or extracts. Sometimes combined with other herbs (e.g. in decoctions with Aegle marmelos, Cyperus rotundus, etc.) for gastrointestinal or fever‑related ailments.

Status & Conservation: Because it is endangered/critically endangered in many regions, overharvesting is a serious concern. Sustainable harvesting, cultivation, and possible substitution/adulteration are practical issues. Some cultivation efforts exist to reduce pressure on wild populations.