Aconitum napellus - most of the time is our first choice for common flu or cold
Updated: Feb 5, 2020

Materia Medica: ALLEN H. C., Keynotes and Characteristics with Comparisons
Monkshood.
Ranunculaceae.
- Is generally indicated in acute or recent cases occurring in young persons, especially girls of a full, plethoric habit who lead a sedentary life; persons easily affected by atmospheric changes; dark hair and eyes, rigid muscular fibre.
- Complaints caused by exposure to dry cold air, dry north or west winds, or exposure to draughts of cold air while in a perspiration; bad effects of checked perspiration.
- Great fear and anxiety of mind, with great nervous excitability; afraid to go out, to go into a crowd where there is any excitement or many people; to cross the street.
- The countenance is expressive of fear; the life is rendered miserable by fear; is sure his disease will prove fatal; predicts the day he will die; fear of death during pregnancy.
- Restless, anxious, does everything in great haste; must change position often; everything startles him.
- Pains : are intolerable, they drive him crazy; he becomes very restless; at night.
- Hahnemann says : "Whenever Aconite is chosen homoeopathically, you must, above all, observe the moral symptoms, and be careful that it closely resembles them; the anguish of mind and body; the restlessness; the disquiet not to be allayed."
- This mental anxiety, worry, fear accompanies the most trivial ailment.
- Music is unbearable, makes her sad (Sab.-during menses, Nat. c.).
- On rising from a recumbent position the red face becomes deathly pale, or he becomes faint or giddy and falls, and he fears to rise again; often accompanied by vanishing of sight and unconsciousness.
- Amenorrhoea in plethoric young girls; after fright, to prevent suppression of menses.
- For the congestive stage of inflammation before localization takes place.
- Fever : skin dry and hot; face red, or pale and red alternately; burning thirst for large quantities of cold water; intense nervous restlessness, tossing about in agony; becomes intolerable towards evening and on going to sleep.
- Convulsions : of teething children; heat, jerks and twitches of single muscles; child gnaws its fist, frets and screams; skin hot and dry; high fever.
- Cough, croup; dry, hoarse, suffocating; loud, rough, croaking; hard, ringing, whistling; on expiration (Caust.-on inhalation, Spong.); from dry, cold winds or drafts of air.
- Aconite should never be given simply to control the fever, never alternated with other drugs for that purpose. If it be a case requiring Aconite no other drug is needed; Aconite will cure the case.
- Unless indicated by the exciting cause, is nearly always injurious in first stages of typhoid fever.
- Aggravation. Evening and night, pains are insupportable; in a warm room; when rising from bed; lying on affected side (Hep., Nux. m.).
- Amelioration. In the open air (Alum., Mag. c., Puls., Sab.).
- Relation. Complementary : to Coffea in fever sleeplessness, intolerance of pain; to Arnica in traumatism; to Sulphur in all cases. Rarely indicated in fevers which bring out eruptions.
- Aconite is the acute of Sulphur, and both precedes and follows it in acute inflammatory conditions.