Yellow Monkshood vs Tou Gu Cao

Side-by-side comparison of medicinal herbs

Herb

Yellow Monkshood

Aconitum lycoctonum

Analgesic

Speranskia tuberculata

Analgesic

Yellow Monkshood

❌ Not recommended in pregnancy

❌ Not recommended while nursing

Tou Gu Cao

❌ Not recommended in pregnancy

❌ Not recommended while nursing

Description

European species of monkshood with yellow flowers; similarly highly toxic but used in historical medicine for neuralgic pain.

TCM herb for bone and joint pain, used topically and internally.

Active Compounds

lycoctonine, delcosine, aconitine analogs, alkaloids

Alkaloids, Flavonoids, Terpenoids, Essential oils

Traditional Uses

Historical use for neuralgia, External preparations for joint pain, Used in folk medicine as rodent poison

Joint pain, Bone pain, Rheumatic pain, Numbness in limbs

Modern Uses

Toxic alkaloid research, Ethnobotanical documentation

Anti-rheumatic research, Topical analgesic studies

Adult Dosage

No safe therapeutic dose — reference only

10-15g in decoction or topical wash

Contraindications

All internal use, Pregnancy, Children

Pregnancy, Open wounds for topical use

Side Effects

Fatal toxicity, Cardiac arrest, Paralysis

Mild skin irritation topically

Drug Interactions

0 known interactions

Reviewed by: HerbAlly Editorial Team, Medical herbalists and healthcare professionals

Sources: WHO Monographs · NCCIH · PubMed · Commission E