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Strychnos nux-vomica
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Strychnos nux-vomica, the strychnine tree, also known as nux vomica, poison fruit, semen strychnos, and quaker buttons, is a native to and to . It is a medium-sized tree in the family that grows in open habitats. Its are ovate and in size.

(1968). 9780804804745, Charles E. Tuttle. .
It is known for being the natural source of the extremely poisonous compound .


Description and properties
Strychnos nux-vomica is a medium-sized tree with a potential height of . Its trunk is short and thick. The wood is dense, hard, white, and close-grained. The branches are irregular and are covered with a smooth ashen bark. The young shoots are a deep green colour with a shiny coat. The leaves have an opposite arrangement (each opposing pair of leaves at right angles to the next pair along the stem), are short stalked and oval shaped, have a shiny coat, and are smooth on both sides. The leaves are about long and wide. The flowers are small with a pale green colour and a funnel shape. They bloom in the cold season and have a foul smell. The fruit are about the size of a large apple with a smooth and hard shell that when ripened is a mild shade of orange in colour. The flesh of the fruit is soft and white with a jelly-like pulp containing five seeds covered with a soft, woolly substance.

The seeds have the shape of a flattened disk completely covered with hairs radiating from the center of the sides. This gives the seeds a very characteristic sheen. The seeds are very hard, with a dark gray horny endosperm where the small embryo is housed that gives off no odor but possesses a very bitter taste.


Ecology
The pulp of the fruit is eaten by monkeys and birds. It is also eaten by at least one species of , the Malabar pied hornbill Balasubramanian, P.; R. Saravanan and B. Maheswaran (2004). "Fruit preferences of Malabar Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus in Western Ghats, India". Bird Conservation International 14: pp. 69-79 9


Toxicity
It is a major source of the highly poisonous, intensely bitter and derived from the seeds inside the tree's round, green to orange fruit.Oudhia, P., 2008. Strychnos nux-vomica L. Internet Record from PROTA4U. Schmelzer, G.H. & Gurib-Fakim, A. (Editors). PROTA (Plant Resources of Tropical Africa / Ressources végétales de l’Afrique tropicale), Wageningen, Netherlands. The seeds contain approximately 1.5% strychnine, and the dried blossoms contain 1.0%. However, the tree's bark also contains and other poisonous compounds.


Uses
The strychnine-containing seeds have been used in . The use of strychnine is highly regulated in many countries, and it is mostly used in baits to kill feral mammals. Most accidental poisoning is caused by breathing in the powder or by absorption through the skin.


Herbalism
Strychnos is promoted within as being a treatment for a wide range of maladies, including and , as an alternative to digitalis. There is, however, no evidence it is useful for treating any condition.
(2025). 9780944235713, American Cancer Society.
Indeed, these seeds contain strychnine. The plant appears on the list of unapproved herbs because it has not been proven to be safe or effective and thus is not recommended for use. Use of strychnine seeds for such purposes may prove fatal, as it has no safe limit for consumption.

In (Perso-Arabic traditional medicine), hudar is a mixture containing Strychnos nux-vomica. The seeds are first immersed in water for five days and then in milk for two days followed by their boiling in milk.

The level of toxic alkaloids in the unprocessed Strychnos seeds used in traditional medicines can be determined using established methods and HPLC-UV methods.

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