Aconite

Last week, I spoke with a mum who had recently been in a minor car accident. Physically, she was fine, but emotionally she couldn’t shake the fear.

Every time she buckled her seatbelt and the engine started, her heart would race, her palms would sweat, and she felt certain something bad was about to happen. She described a sense of impending doom - like she couldn’t breathe and might die if she stayed in the car.

This picture is classic Aconite anxiety: sudden, intense, overwhelming fear that lingers long after a shock or fright. After just a few doses of Aconite, she noticed the racing heart and panicky breath ease. Within days she could ride in the car again without feeling like she was reliving the accident.

Aconite in a Nutshell

Aconite (Aconitum napellus) is one of the most well-known acute remedies in homeopathy. This is why it is in my first aid kit.

It’s called the “fright and flight remedy” because so much of its action comes from shock, fear, and sudden onset illnesses.

Key Themes:

• Sudden onset: Illnesses that appear out of nowhere, often after exposure to cold wind or fright. It is a key remedy for the first sign of croup.

• Fear & anxiety: Intense panic, fear of death, restlessness.

• Overwhelming fear of crowds, public places, small areas and even fear of death.

• Shock state: Both emotional (grief, trauma, fright) and physical (injury, accident).

Aconite is often used n a higher potency such as a 200C or a fibonacci homochord, like in the First Aid Kit, or sometimes an Aconite 10M for some patients that have acute and debilitating anxiety.