Strychnos nux vomica

The Chinese herbal medicine Strychnos nux vomica, as the name suggests, is a very good Chinese herbal medicine. It likes a relatively humid and hot climate and is afraid of frost, so it can only be found in the deep mountains and forests of the south. It is a relatively precious Chinese medicinal material, but good quality Strychnos nux vomica can also be cultivated in places with suitable climate and soil. Nux vomica has a good effect in treating pain and is widely used in medicine.

The seeds of Strychnos nux vomica are poisonous, and most of the time the active ingredients of the seeds are extracted to make medicinal materials or drugs, so if you are going to touch this plant or prepare medicinal materials, you must be careful when collecting them. Because of its toxicity, Strychnos nux vomica is sometimes used to make agricultural pesticides.

Functions and indications: Disperses blood heat, reduces swelling and relieves pain. Treats sore throat, carbuncle, rheumatism pain, and fracture. It can also treat facial nerve paralysis and myasthenia gravis. It can clear the meridians and relieve pain, disperse stagnation and reduce swelling. Used for stubborn rheumatism, numbness and paralysis, injuries from falls, carbuncles, swelling and pain.

Medicinal value

The seeds are extremely poisonous, containing mainly strychnine, strychnine and other biological alkaloids, and are used as stomachic medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine, the seeds are soaked and used as medicine. They are cold in nature, bitter in taste, and have the effects of dredging meridians, dispersing nodules, reducing swelling and relieving pain. In Western medicine, seed extracts are used as central nervous system stimulants.

Depending on the processing methods, it can be divided into raw strychnine, processed strychnine, etc. The preparation process of Strychnos nux vomica is to put clean sand in a pot, heat it with high heat, add clean Strychnos nux vomica, stir-fry until the surface is dark brown and small bubbles appear, take it out, sieve out the sand, and let it cool; scalding the sand can reduce its toxicity and facilitate crushing. The processed medicinal materials should be stored in a dry container. The processed Strychnos nux vomica should be sealed and placed in a ventilated and dry place, and the raw Strychnos nux vomica should be kept in a special warehouse.

After being processed by heating methods such as blanching, frying, and boiling in licorice water, the content of strychnine and strychnine in Strychnos nux vomica can be significantly reduced, thereby reducing its toxicity.

Generally, oral administration starts with a small dose and gradually increases the dose until the patient feels slight muscle tremors, which is the maximum dose and the dose cannot be increased any further.

It should not be taken raw, in large quantities or for a long time, but can be used intermittently.

Musk and Corydalis yanhusuo can enhance the toxicity of Strychnos nux vomica, so they should not be used together.

This product is highly toxic and overdose can easily lead to poisoning. The initial symptoms are headache, dizziness, irritability, followed by stiff neck, tightness of the whole body, and even opisthotonos, clenched hands, clenched teeth, and spasmodic smile on the face. In severe cases, it can cause coma, rapid breathing, dilated pupils, irregular heartbeat, and even circulatory failure and death. Therefore, attention should be paid to the preparation and strict control of dosage.

The contribution of the traditional Chinese medicine Strychnos nux vomica to the application of medicinal materials is enormous, but its toxicity is also obvious. As the saying goes, "All medicines are poisonous to the point of being toxic". We should be cautious not only when taking Strychnos nux vomica, but also when taking other medicines, and take them strictly according to the doctor's instructions.