title: An accidental case of aconite poisoning due to Kampo herbal medicine ingestion.
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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Legal Medicine, Nippon Medical School, 1-1-5, Sendagi, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8602, Japan.
authors.forename: Takiyoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ono
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hayashida
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uekusa
authors.forename: Cui Fan
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.forename: Hideyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nihira
authors.forename: Youkichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohno
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents; D031841:Aconitum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000506:poisoning*; D000470:Alkaloids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008516:Medicine, Chinese Traditional / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015394:Molecular Structure; D010939:Plant Poisoning / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D018517:Plant Roots
chemical_list: D000470:Alkaloids