Cultivation practices, chemical

constituents and uses of Atis

Submitted by : Anita
tamang.
Programe:plant
science (5th sem)
Submitted to:
Nangsali ghalan
• Scientific Name:Aconitum heterophyllum
• English Name : Atish
• Nepali Name : Atis
• Family : Ranunculaccae

• Description
• Atis is a perennial herb that is tall up to 1m. It has heart shaped
leaves which ranges from 5 – 10 cm. the leaves of atis are
heteromorphous. Lowest leaves of the atis have petiolsand the
lobes of these leaves are divided into five parts by its vein.whereas
uppermost leaves doesnot contai petiols and directly connected to
stem and it does not have partition either. The flower are curry
and dark blue in colour. Fruits are long and pointed in shape.
• The single fruits are divided into five parts. In
nepali literature Atis is famous as Deiphenium
himalaya,it s another scientific name.In india,
it is known as atis. The sample of Atis collected
by the National Herbarium and Laboratory
shows that the study done on Atis so far isnot
sufficint and significant that’s why further
study on it should be conducted . It blossoms
during mid August to mid October. The fruits
takes place from september to december.
Distribution
• Atis are common in Hamalayan belts of
pakistan , kashmir (India) and nepal. In nepal,
it is found in an altitude of 3200-4200m. It is
usually found in western Nepal.
• Chemical Constituents
• Aconitum species are the rich sources of
diterpene alkaloids and flavonoids. It also
consists of fatty acids, polysaccharides and
different classes of alkaloids. Also aconitic,
heterophylline are present.
• USES
• The tubers of Aconitum areused asanitipyretic
and analgesic in far western nepal.it is also
used for tonsillitis, sore throat , gastritis and
debility. In comparing with latest
pharmacological finding.
• In manang district, A naviculars is used for
high blood pressure, cold, jundice.the root
power is also used to treat fever, headache
and stomachache. Root paste is also applied
for allergy, boils ,cuts , wounds and edema
after mixing with other plants in mustang.
Climatic and soil
• It can be cultivated in sub tropical and alpine
cimate, cultivated up to 2000m altitude . The
plant prefers open, sunny sites, abundant air
and soil moisture during summer months.
• Sandy loam and slightly acidic soil, with ph about
6, has been found to be the best for seed
germination, survival, better growth and yield.
• Cultivation
• a) propagation : seeds, tuber segments or
young leafy stems can be used as propagules.
The fruits that turn light brown are collected
during late october to mid november for the
better germination of seeds. The seeds should be
preferably be collected during morning hours.
• B) Raising propagules : seeds have no
dormancy period and are sown immediately
after collection . They are sown in sand and fym
at depth 0.5 cm in styrofoam trays in a mist
house. Nursery beds of 2m*2m or even smaller
size are better for raising seedlings inside the
playhouses. At a depth of 0.5 cm germination is
delayed to some extent, but first true leaf
initiation occurs earlier as compared to sowing
at other depths. Seeds are sown during
october- november or march –april.
• Plants raised from seeds have very slow
growth and the cotyledonary phase persists
for at least one growth season(3-4 months)
but under poly house and sandy texture soil, it
takes 2 months to complete. However ,
diurnal temperature variations (25-30 degree
celsus) and mulching of soil promote
germination within 15-25 days. When tuber
segments are used as planting material , they
are treated with GA3.for maximum rooting
percentage and survival.
• Tuber segments are also planted during the
same period as mentioned for seedlings.
Propagation using young leafy stems, when
inserted in moist soils under scrub canopy or
inin soil trenches covered with thin layer of
moss, induces rooting at every node. Even the
top nodal segment roots within 30-35days
under above conditions during july-aug. 3-4
plantlets cn be produced by one leafy stem.
• c) propagule rate and pretreatment
Approximately 1.5 kg seeds are required for
• Obtaining seedlings for 1 h. however, about
111000 tuber segment are needed for
plantation on 1 hectare. Pretreatment of
seeds with GA3 results in early germination(9-
20days) and up to 55% germination.
• D) Land preparation and fertilizer
application :
• During winter, the fields are thoroughly
ploughed till fine tilth is obtained. Removal of
weeds and addition of manure 10-15 days
before transplantation improve the soil
quality.
• A high leaf litterdose is added to soil before
transplanting for good seedling growth and
survival. In subsequent years , a dose of 60-70
quintals/ hectare/year can be added for
maximum yield.

• Transplanting and optimum spacing:

propagules/seedlings are transplanted after
three months of the true leaf iniatation during
march-april at middle altitudes and during
better vegetative growth and resultant high
tuber yield.
• f) Interculture operations and maintence practices:
forest leaf litter,FYM,or leaf compost can be used as mulch to
provide nutrition to the plants.*waterlogging can cause
leaves to turn yellowish and plants to wither due to
waterlogging in beds.weeding should be done at an interval
of 15 to 20 days.During the winters.

• Irrigation practices :
plant beds should be irrigated as per required .the retention
of soil moisture is necessary to decrease seedling mortality. It
depends on the texture and porosity of the soil.in summer, it
should be done at least once a week.
• Harvesting and yield
• Vegetative growth phase lasts for three to four years
and finally leads to the reproduction phase .
Harvesting of tubers is recommended after the
completion of reproductive phase and ripening of
seeds during october-nov. To get maximum yield of
tuber as well as seeds for multiplication, plants
must be harvested during october at lower altitudes
and in first week of november at higher altitudes. It
is harvested by digging the field. Usually, whole
tuber harvested . However, topmost segments of
tubers can be used for further multiplication, as
they have better survival and growth rates.
• After harvesting, the whole tuber or tubers
without the top segments should be dried in
partial shade or at room temperature . After
complete drying, slices of tubers can be stored
in wooden boxes or air tight polythene bags.
Actual production of 518 kg/hectors and
579kg/ha respectively from seedlings and tuber
cuttings has been recorded after three years of
cultivations under experimental conditions.
• Insufficient Evidence for
• Heart failure. Early research shows that taking
heart process aconite root daily for up months
might improve heart and kidney function in
people with heart failure.
• Absence of menstrual period(amenorrhea)
• Asthma
• Diarrhea
• Pain due to pressure on the sciatic nerve(sciatica)
• Wound healing
• Rheumatoid arthritic.
 Side effects
Aconite contains a strong, fast acting poison that
causes side effects such as nausea vomiting ,
weakness, sweating and may cause death too.

Some people use it in a cream but it is

dangerous. The poison in aconite can be
absorbed through the skin, causing severe side
effects.