Monkshood

Aconitum napellus

Toxic

Hooded indigo flowers — beautiful, and poisonous to the touch in sap, let alone as a tea.

Handle as a poison-garden specimen. See Safety before any use.

Aconite has a history as a spear poison and a disastrous folk liniment. The alkaloid aconitine causes tingling, then paralysis and arrhythmia. Gardeners have been poisoned by handling crushed leaves with cracked skin. Gloves are not optional.

Flavor

Do not taste. Immediate tingling is a warning, not a spice.

Parts used

None for self-care.

In favor

Unmistakable teaching flower

Against

Contact and ingestion poison
No reliable kitchen antidote