Question regarding aconitine (that deadly toxin)

Does anyone know how long Aconitine or any of the other toxins would stay active on clothing? I brushed against a monks-hood plants the other day.. narrowly missing my leg but getting my shorts. Would the toxin be inactive 6 days later?

 

I have been growing Aconitum for over 30 years and honestly I reckon you'd be more likely to be killed by a meteorite than having any ill effects from these very attractive plants. Ok if you were idiot enough to eat a whole load of it then you might not be too well but there are 1000s and 1000s of things in our modern day living which are much more dangerous.
Chill out and don't worry, there is an awful lot of drivel written about so called toxic plants. I have it on reasonably good authority that Daffodil bulbs are more toxic that Aconitum yet how many people have you heard of being killed by either?! Motorbikes on the other hand now they are toxic when it comes to harming humans!

 

Yes, Daffodils are certainly toxic and I think they may have hallucinatory tendencies too. My dog (sadly long gone) had a tendency to track down hedgehogs and torment them. On a few occasions she'd ripped up my Daffs to get to them and would spend the following few hours in a drunken kind of delirium.

 

I understand were you are coming from .. however its well documented that only 20mg of this stuff can cause a fatal reaction. Whats more in humans the many toxins that grace Aconitum napellus, are easily absorbed into the skin, meaning you can reach the dose limit simply by brushing past the plant with bare skin contact. This has been proven by toxicology.

 

What does it look like? I had a problem with giant hogweed and another time poison ivy. Both times I had a bad experience before I realized what I'd touched.

 

You obviously know lots more than I do about the "dangers" of Aconitum. All I can say for certain is that I never garden with gloves on and have planted, pruned down the old growth and split/moved Aconitum dozens of times over the years and haven't had any ill effects. I am slightly puzzled tho, if it is so incredibly toxic why aren't gardeners dying in their 100s every year? and how is it legal for the plants to be sold if so dangerous even if they carry a warning label? I sold some of my Aconitum during the plant sale I ran for charity a couple of months ago. I did warn the buyers that it was poisonous and I haven't heard I am responsible for any deaths.....yet!

 

@stephenprudence
I would wash the cloths if you are particularly worried. Just brushing against an aconitum is unlikely to cause a problem as you are unlikely to get any sap on you and the length of contact is very short. The skin is pretty good protection.
Like Silu I grow several of these including climbing varieties (less successfully), I don't wear gloves, but when I'm cutting them down or digging them up I do wash my hands before eating or drinking.
The problem with toxicity seems to be it's use in herbal remedies in past times as the range between no effect and too much effect is very narrow and then throw in the natural variability in levels in plants and how effectively the material has been preserved and the herbalist/patient is on a tightrope.

 

Very interesting @NigelJ, similar to Arsenic then maybe? Not in it's potency perhaps but useful as a medicine if used in the correct amounts and somewhat critical getting the dosage right!
Funny how so many of the natural old fashioned remedies are now considered to be unworthy/ too dangerous to use. Obviously some are but I often suspect the drugs companies have had a hand in discrediting many perfectly good and effective ones. Gentian Violet which I have used is difficult to find nowadays (very effective antibacterial product) as I believe it is said to be carcinogenic. When I couldn't get a poisoned toe to heal I went to see the health clinic nurse who used yup good old fashioned Iodine which did the trick! I now have bought Iodine and chucked out the tube of Savlon I had which was less than useless Ok my toe was yellow for a while but who cares if the pain stopped.

 

I read another article on this which said its unlikely to cause problems unless the sap went on your skin... however the problems start when you have cuts and grazes on your skin. I have lots as my skin doesnt react well to insect bites... apparently open wound brushing past the leaves is the problem more than anything.

 

You've probably seen the news about a gardener who died after brushing up against Wolfbane a few years ago, so are concerned.

Gardener dies 'after brushing against deadly wolfsbane flower'

If you wash your clothes on a long 60 degree cycle with a pre-wash should break down many natual toxins. Obviously a boil wash would be ideal but your clothes may fit an action man or Barbie's Ken, or come out a different shade (or colour)

I wouldn't worry too much about it in your situation. Getting it directly on the skin can be another matter. Read somewhere that centuries ago, Chinese archers coated arrow tips and shafts with it. The tips would often kill enemies and anybody who tried to remove the shaft (without protection) from a wounded soldier was at serious risk of poisoning too

 

I read that the roots are 10 times more poisonous than the aerial part of the plant.