Introduction
Aconitum napellus
Monkshood is a highly attractive plant, but if eaten, it is deadly; we are facing the most toxic plant in Europe. This is due to the presence of two extremely toxic substances, aconitine with cardiotoxic effects and pseudoaconitine with neurotoxic effects.
It is found along watercourses and in high-altitude forests between 1,500 and 2,500 m. It is a nitrophilic plant, inhabiting slightly nitrified soils. It appears in clumps in damp pastures where livestock grazes.
The most toxic parts of monkshood are the leaves and the root. In just one or two hours, the ingestion of 1 mg can kill a child, and with the ingestion of between 5 and 8 mg, an adult.
Have you ever wondered why it's the only plant found in many meadows? Well, because the animals that graze there know it and avoid it.