The efficacy and function of the blood-curdling strychnos nux vomica

Nowadays, our living standards are constantly improving, but our health quality is constantly declining. Unscientific diet poses a potential threat to our bodies. Many Chinese medicinal herbs can regulate and improve our bodies. Here I would like to introduce you to the herb Strychnos nux vomica.

[Alias] Crossbow arrow, poison arrow tree, big medicine tree,

[Source] Medicinal material source: the latex and seeds of the mulberry plant.

【Original form】 Evergreen tree, up to 30m tall. The whole plant has latex. The base of the trunk is thick and has plank-like roots; the bark is gray with foamy protrusions; the twigs are coarsely hairy and longitudinally wrinkled when young, and turn brown when dry. Simple leaves are alternate, petioles are 6-8mm long and covered with coarse hairs; stipules are lanceolate, 6mm long, and fall off early; leaf blades are oblong or elliptic-oblong, 5-7cm long, 2.5-4cm wide, with short acuminate tips, rounded or cordate bases, asymmetrical, with short coarse hairs on both sides, denser on the back, turning brown after drying; midrib is densely short-haired, with 5-6 pairs of lateral veins. Flowers are unisexual and monoecious; male inflorescences are capitate, inserted in leaf axils, the receptacle is fleshy and disc-shaped, and the bracts are boat-shaped and triangular and hairy; male flowers have 4 tepals; 4 stamens, anthers are oblong, with scattered purple spots, and very short filaments; female flowers are solitary in a pear-shaped receptacle with scales, without perianth, the ovary is fused to the receptacle, and the style is 2-lobed. The fruit is fleshy, about 2 cm in diameter, pear-shaped, purple or pink, with a few persistent bracts. Flowering period: spring.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Growing in mountain broad-leaved forests at medium altitudes.

[Chemical composition] The milk contains α-antiarin, β-antiarin, malayoside, 19-deoxy-α-antiarin, 19-deoxy-β-antiarin, con-valloside, digitoxigenin-α-rhamnoside, and convallatoxin.

[Pharmacological action] 1. Cardiotonic effect The ethanol extract of Strychnos nux vomica latex has the effects of strengthening the heart, increasing blood pressure and increasing cardiac output. Many of the glycosides contained in this product have digitalis-like cardiotonic effects. For example, injection of 0.05 mg into the frog's lymph sac can stop its heart in the systolic phase; it can cause the cat's electrocardiogram to produce changes similar to those of xanthophyllotoxin, including bradycardia, prolonged PR interval, ectopic rhythm, tachycardia, and finally ventricular fibrillation leading to death; the cardiotonic potency for cats, that is, the minimum lethal dose (mg/kg) for cats is: α-cynoglobin 0.116, β-cynoglobin 0.102, α-cynoglobin 0.142, cynoglobin rhamnoside 0.125, cynoglobin 0.107, cynoglobin alloside 0.122, cynoglobin alloside 0.118, cynoglobin alloside 0.138, and cynoglobin aglycone 0.359.

【Nature and flavor】 Bitter; warm; highly toxic

【Functions and indications】Fresh sap; cardiotonic; emetic; purgative; anesthesia; external use for the treatment of lymph node tuberculosis. Seeds: Antipyretic. Main dysentery

[Note] Strychnos nux vomica is highly poisonous and should be used with caution. In Yunnan, Hainan and other places, people use tree sap as arrow poison to shoot wild animals. If people or animals are injured, the venom enters the wound and they will soon die of poisoning.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The utilization rate of strychnos nux vomica in traditional Chinese medicine is still very high, and it can be used to treat a variety of diseases. We should consume it after fully understanding the efficacy and effects of strychnos nux vomica. I hope everyone doesn’t eat carelessly.