CHIBA, May 20 (News On Japan) - A 15-year-old junior high school student arrested for fatally stabbing an 84-year-old woman on a street in Chiba City was found to have purchased 'monkshood' seeds of the highly toxic plant aconite before the incident, according to police.
The boy, a third-year student at a junior high school, is suspected of stabbing Hachio Takahashi, a local resident, in the back with a bladed object on a street in Wakaba Ward, Chiba City, on May 11th.
Subsequent investigation revealed that the boy had obtained seeds of the poisonous plant prior to the killing. During ongoing guidance sessions with police, which had been conducted regularly, the boy’s father reported that his son had bought the aconite seeds and that he had confiscated them.
The boy reportedly told police he had purchased the seeds "for an experiment." During questioning, he also made statements suggesting he "wanted to kill his family," prompting investigators to carefully examine the motive behind the attack.
Native to mountainous regions across the Northern Hemisphere, monkshood is striking in appearance, often bearing deep purple or blue flowers that resemble the hood of a medieval monk—hence the name. While beautiful, the plant has a deadly reputation. All parts of the plant, including the seeds, are highly poisonous due to the presence of alkaloids such as aconitine, which interfere with the normal function of the nervous system. Ingestion, or even skin contact in high enough quantities, can cause symptoms ranging from numbness and nausea to cardiac arrest and death.
Historically, monkshood has played a dual role in human culture: both feared and revered. In ancient times, its poison was used on arrow tips in hunting and warfare. Greek and Roman texts describe it as a tool of execution and witchcraft, and in medieval Europe, it was associated with magic, often cited in folklore as an ingredient in witches’ brews. Despite its dangers, aconite has also had a limited role in traditional medicine, especially in Chinese and Ayurvedic practices, where it was used—only after careful processing—to treat ailments such as joint pain, fever, and heart conditions. Modern medicine has largely moved away from its use due to the narrow margin between therapeutic and lethal doses.
Today, monkshood is primarily known as a garden ornamental and a botanical curiosity rather than a useful herb. Gardeners grow it for its aesthetic appeal but are warned to handle it with gloves and keep it away from children and pets. Its toxicity remains a matter of concern for forensic scientists and toxicologists, as cases of accidental or deliberate poisoning still occur. The seeds, in particular, are small and inconspicuous but carry a concentrated dose of the plant’s active toxins. This has raised red flags in criminal investigations where aconite has been used as a poison, either through ingestion or exposure via wounds.
In legal and forensic circles, monkshood seeds have been recognized as a substance that can be weaponized with relative ease, making them a plant of interest in investigations involving suspicious deaths. Their accessibility online or through specialized plant shops has added to the challenge of regulating their use. For those unfamiliar with the plant, monkshood may seem like just another beautiful addition to the garden, but beneath its elegance lies one of nature’s most insidious poisons—potent enough to kill in minute quantities, and historically significant as both a remedy and a murder weapon.
Source: TBS
