A toxic alkaloid compound found in certain plants of the aconite family, known for its poisonous properties.
From 'bikha' (Sanskrit for poison) combined with 'aconitine' (the active alkaloid of aconite plants). The term emerged in 19th-century toxicology to distinguish this particular variant of aconite poison.
This word shows how Western science borrowed from Sanskrit to name poisons—'bikha' literally means poison in Indian languages, revealing how different cultures independently studied the same deadly plants.
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