Citation

Ono T, Hayashida M, Uekusa K, Lai CF, Hayakawa H, Nihira M, Ohno Y. Leg. Med. (Elsevier) 2009; 11(3): 132-135.

Affiliation

Department of Legal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Japanese Society of Legal Medicine, Publisher Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.legalmed.2008.11.001

PMID

19121599

Abstract

An accidental case of aconite intoxication occurred after a patient took a therapeutic dose of Kampo herbal medicine containing Aconiti tuber, Uzu but had used the wrong decoction procedure. The poisoning was likely caused by an increased level of Aconitum alkaloids in the decoction; the patient developed aconite intoxication due to incomplete decoction. Aconitum alkaloid levels in the leftover solution which the patient had drunk and in the decoction extracted from 3g Uzu were determined. It was found that decoction makes the medicine safer to drink. Older individuals, especially those with dementia, have a higher risk of aconite poisoning because they sometimes do not boil the medicine appropriately.

Language: en