botanical name(s): Strychnos nux vomica
synonyms: nux vomica, poison nut
part(s) used: seeds
qualities:
affinities: liver, intestines, central nervous system
actions:
dosage:
» tincture: 0.06 - 1 ml.
» lethal dose is 2 g of seed in an adult (Felter and Scudder, p. 487)
therapy: stimulant, bitter, tonic; the action is mainly due to strychnine, which is a potent CNS stimulant; nux vomica has been used as a tonic and analeptic but this cannot really be justified; its therapeutic properties are limited and there are numerous recorded fatalities from deliberate or accidental ingestion; poisoning causes muscle stiffness and spasm, resulting in the fixed grinning expression known as "risus sardonicus" due to clamping of the jaw; contraction of the abdominals and the diaphragm arrests respiration and death may easily result
toxicity: 4; see strychnine toxidrome
» treatment of overdose: oral administration of chloroform, anticonvulsive therapy, potassium permanganate, and gastric lavage (Duke, p. 464)
constituents: indole alkaloids, the main one being strychnine, accounting for approximately 50% of the alkaloids
footnotes
Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.
Felter, H.W. & Scudder, John K., 1922. The Eclectic Materia Medica, Pharmacology and Therapeutics. Cincinnati, Ohio. Reprinted in 1985 by Eclectic Medical Publications, Portland, OR.