Aconitum carmichaeli,  A. lycoctonum. 附 子 Fù zǐ and  乌 头 Wū tóu   Prepared aconite, Monks hood, Japanese aconite, Wolfsbane   Family: Ranunculaceae   
This is a very poisonous plant and should only be used with extreme caution and under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
The best quality Fu zi has traditionally been grown in the Sichuan province.[5]
PART USED: Prepared root- to reduce toxicity. Raw Fu zi is highly toxic and is not to be injested. The transformation of the original seedling is called Wu tou (Crow’s Head); in general, offsprings that sprout out side-ways from the Wu tou are the most valued, called Fu zi- Attached offspring- numbering between 1-7 attached to each plant.[5]


附 子 Fù zǐ Most valued sideways sprout from the original seedling- harvested in late Summer.
Nature- extremely hot     FLAVOR: Very acrid, Pungent    CHANNELS: Heart, Spleen, Kidney    TOXICITY: Extremely toxic
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Warm the interior and Expel Cold
1. Restore Yang, Warm up internal region. Returns shock collapse.[4]
2. Expel Cold which has been manifesting as pain.[1,2] Eliminates Cold moisture. Antiinflammatory for Cold conditions.[4]
3. Clears Channels. Directs other herbs.[4] Strengthens Heart.[4]
INDICATIONS- Prescription by qualified Chinese Herbalist recommended, due to toxicity. Used mainly for Yang deficiency.[4]
1. Cold accumulation. Cold limbs, excessive perspiration, diarrhea, cold abdominal pain, cold rheumatic pain, edema.[4]Yang deficiency- S/S Fear of cold, cold in upper limbs, cold in loins and knees area, long clear urine, diarrhea- loose stools, pale face and lips, edema in lower limbs T- White sticky swollen P- Minute thin or deep-hidden.[4]
2. Wind and Cold caused moisture numbness. Wind Caused joint pains.
3. Wind Spasms of four extremities. Hemiplegia and Wind headache.
5. Chest and abdominal pain. Heart failure.
6. Chronic nephritis.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Note the low dose. Overdose builds Heat up. Heat symptoms and Yin deficiency. Pregnancy. Constipation. Fever.
PREPARATIONS: Decoction 1.5-4 g prepared root for each dose. The preparations of Aconites are almost uniformly soaked in vinegar for a longer or shorter period before they are placed on the market.[6] have been prepared in various ways so as to diminish the oisonous properties of the plants.For external use, crush finely, and mix with water or white wine for use as compress.[1] Refined root 3-15 g.[2]
The harvested product is processed by first fermenting it, using containers of wine that are placed in a sealed room. There, the roots are steeped for several months until they start to ferment and increase in size. Afterward, the roots are removed from their brine and exposed to the sun and wind until they are completely dry. When the roots first emerge from the wine, the largest pieces are as big as a man’s fist. After drying, they will shrink to a smaller size, producing a dried root around which an adult’s hand can close. It is rare to yield a root that reaches a weight of 40 g.[5]

- To neutralize- Use Mung bean 9-12 g- boil and drink. Or use Gan cao 15 g and Sheng Jiang 12 g by decoction.[4]
 乌 头 Wū tóu, 川 乌 Chuān wū  Monks hood mother root    Harvested in spring, when the plant begins to sprout, resembling a crows head in shape.
Nature- hot- warm  FLAVOR: Bitter, acrid, pungent, benumbing    TOXICITY: Extremely toxic
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Cold Dispersing
1. Disperse Cold.
2. Wind Damp dispersing.[2,3]
3  Relieve pain.[2,3]
INDICATIONS- Use only by qualified Chinese Herbalist recommended, due to toxicity.
1. Damp Cold painful obstruction, cold and pain in the chest and abdomen, intense headache, and pain from trauma.
2. Rheumatism, pain in limbs and joints, sciatic neuralgia, cold pain in abdomen, acute pain caused by fall injuries.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Same as Fu zi.[3]
COMPARISON: Chuan wu  is more effective than Fu zi in dispelling Cold and alleviating pain, but is more toxic and has less tonifying properties.[3]
PREPARATIONS:  1.5-9 g.[3] Dried root 3-9 g.[2]
 SUSMP6 S2: ACONITUM spp. for therapeutic use in adults: (a) in preparations for oral use in packs each containing 0.2 mg or less of total alkaloids except in packs containing 0.02 mg or less of total alkaloids; or
(b) in preparations for dermal use containing 0.02 per cent or less of total alkaloids, in packs each containing 0.2 mg or less of total alkaloids except in packs containing 0.02 mg or less of total alkaloids.
SUSMP6 S4: ACONITUM spp. except (a) when included in Schedule 2; (b) in preparations for oral use in adults in packs containing 0.02 mg or less of total alkaloids; or (c) in preparations for dermal use in adults containing 0.02 per cent or less of total alkaloids in packs containing 0.02 mg or less of total alkaloids. Australian Chinese Medicine Board
PART USED: 草  乌 头 Cǎo wū tóu- Juice expressed from the stems in summer, may be evaporated to make arrow poison.
This, when placed upotn arrow tips and used for killing birds, will produce death in a bird so shot in the time it would take one to walk ten steps. If men are shot with these aros, they will also die.[6]

DESCRIPTION: Chuan wu- tuberous root, from 30 mm to 35 mm in length, and 12 mm in thickness. The external cuticle is irregularly rough and hard, and of a brownish-black color, while the interior structure is firm, amylaceous, and of a dirty white color.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Research

When are Fu Zi And Ma Huang going to become available in Austalia? Feb 22, 2013
Two of the herbs proposed by the former Chinese Medicine Registration Board of Victoria to be added to Schedule 1 of the Standard for the Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons (SUSMP) remain unavailable to registered Chinese herbal medicine practitioners with additional endorsement for prescribing these herbs individually.
The SUSMP, referred to as “The Poisons Standard”, has a Schedule 1 which is empty. Under the Victorian Poisons List (Schedules 2-9 are adopted automatically by reference from the national Standard for Uniform Scheduling of Medicines and Poisons), it is currently illegal for a Chinese herbal medicine practitioner or herbal dispenser to ‘obtain, possess, use, sell or supply’ certain Chinese herbs listed in the various schedules of the list. Similar restrictions apply in other states and territories.
The former Chinese Medicine Registration Board Victoria (ended on 30 June 2012) prepared a submission for the Victorian Minister for Health recommending the inclusion of Fu Zi and Ma Huang (as well as Ban Bian Lian) in Schedule 1 of the Victorian Poisons List so that Board-endorsed practitioners could safely dispense/prescribe for patients who would benefit from the use of these herbs based on their professional justification and an evidence-based approach. Until now, the herbs have failed to receive the Ministerial approval in Victoria which may have been a basis for other States to consider similar arrangements.
With national registration now commenced from July 2012, this is now a national issue and a new strategy is needed to achieve access to those herbs for Chinese herbal medicine practitioners in Australia. safflower.com.au