Translated from Polish with Grok
Strychnine – Strychninum and Strychnos in Medicine
Strychnine is one of my favorite medicinal substances. From the moment I obtained authorization to purchase and use strychnine, I immediately did so. I consider strychnine nitrate, pure strychnine, and Strychnos seeds to be highly valuable, though unfortunately they are rarely used today, unlike in the past when their application was widespread. Currently, strychnine can be found in Polish Cardiamid-Coffein drops (0.25 mg/ml), and I believe this small addition ensures their effective action, alongside caffeine (100 mg/1 ml). Nikethamide, however, is too weak a substance to induce a surge of energy or revive the faint and lethargic. Incidentally, the true effect of Cardiamid-Coffein drops becomes evident not at a dose of 10-20 drops (which produces a placebo effect), but at a 1 ml dose, delivering 100 mg of nikethamide, 100 mg of caffeine, and a quarter mg of strychnine.
Strychnine is an indole alkaloid found in the strychnine tree –
Strychnos nux-vomica L. – from the
Loganiaceae family. The strychnine tree grows in tropical regions from India to northern Australia. It is cultivated in India, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Laos, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Vietnam. The tree reaches heights of 12 (sometimes 15) meters; its bark is smooth and whitish; its leaves are petiolate, broadly elliptical, alternately arranged, and glossy. The flowers are white, short-stalked, gathered in axillary inflorescences, and fragrant. The fruit is an orange-shaped berry with white pulp, containing bitter alkaloid-rich seeds. The seeds are flat, button-like, with a small bump on one side, gray-green in color, up to 3 cm wide and 7 mm thick, and silkily hairy.
Strychnos seeds contain 2 to 3% alkaloids (some authors suggest 1.5-5.3%), predominantly brucine C23H26O4N2 (55-60%), strychnine C21H22O2N2 (40-45%), vomicine (C22H24O4N2), and strychnicine (C21H22O2N); additionally, chlorogenic acid (also known as igasuric acid), the bitter glycoside loganin (meliatin), a fatty oil (3-4%), phytosterols, and proteins (about 11%), as well as the alkaloids alpha- and beta-colubrine.
Strychnine was identified in Strychnos seeds in 1818 by Joseph Bienaimé Caventou (1795-1877) and Pierre Joseph Pelletier (1788-1842). In 1819, they isolated the alkaloid brucine from the same plant. For a long time, strychnine’s structure remained unknown due to its classification among the most complex substances. According to C.D. Nenitescu (1969), its structure was studied by H. Leuchs (from 1908), R. Robinson, and H. Wieland (from 1929). Strychnine is a molecule with seven rings that does not easily break down into two or three identifiable components. It is a strong monobasic base. The second nitrogen atom, non-basic, is part of an amide group (NH-CO). Alkaline hydrolysis transforms strychnine into strychninic acid C21H24O3N2, containing a tertiary nitrogen, an -NH group, and a -COOH group. This hydrolysis does not cleave the molecule, indicating the -NH-CO group is part of a ring. This ring readily closes again, regenerating strychnine. The second oxygen atom, equally inert, belongs to an ether group. The presence of an indole ring in strychnine was proven by oxidation with nitric acid, yielding picric acid, 3,5-dinitrobenzoic acid, and 5,7-dinitroindole-2-carboxylic acid. Through systematic degradation reactions, R. Robinson established strychnine’s structural formula in 1946. Its structure was also confirmed physically via X-ray analysis of its salts (Bijvoet and independently Robertson, 1950). Total synthesis of strychnine, in about 30 steps, was achieved by R.B. Woodward and collaborators (Warren, Brehm) between 1948 and 1954.
Brucine C23H26O4N2+4H2O is dimethoxylated strychnine. When isolated, it forms needle-like crystals with a melting point of 178°C, soluble in alcohol, chloroform, and benzene, but poorly soluble in water. In some older publications, brucine was termed
vomicine. Today,
vomicine (4,16-dihydroxy-19-methyl-10-oxostrychnidinium, C22-H24-N2-O4) is recognized as a distinct alkaloid and should not be conflated with brucine. Vomicine occurs in Strychnos alongside brucine and strychnine. Recent studies confirm older findings that
strychnicine and
vomicine are distinct alkaloids. Until recently, it was mistakenly thought that strychnicine and vomicine were different names for the same compound, leading to erroneous differentiation.
In medicine, brucine has been and still is used in some countries as sulfate and nitrate forms –
Brucinum sulfuricum et Brucinum nitricum. Applied externally, brucine has a local anesthetic effect. When taken internally, it acts like strychnine but much more weakly. It is estimated (historically and currently) that brucine has 1/40 to 1/50 the potency of strychnine (
Hagers Handbuch der Pharmazeutischen Praxis, 1938; Samuelsson G., Bohlin L.:
Drugs of Natural Origin, 2009). Historical doses of brucine ranged from 0.01-0.1 g in pills or drops. The highest single dose was 0.1 g, and the highest daily dose was 0.2 g. Brucine is less toxic than strychnine. Indications for its use included urinary disorders (incontinence, weak sphincters), depressive states in psychoses, cardiac neurosis, chronic alcoholism, mental and physical weakness (as a tonic –
tonicum), intestinal atony, lack of appetite, emaciation (to stimulate Auerbach’s plexus), and sexual weakness.
Strychnine and Strychnos preparations increase spinal reflex excitability and vegetative reflexes, such as the knee-jerk reflex. They enhance the excitability of the vasomotor center, causing constriction of intestinal blood vessels and raising blood pressure. They stimulate the respiratory center, increasing lung ventilation intensity. They boost digestive juice secretion, improve appetite and digestion, stimulate gastrointestinal peristalsis, prevent intestinal atony and fecal stasis (constipation), and regulate bowel movements. They enhance reflex excitability of sexual centers in the spinal cord, increasing penile and clitoral erection, intensifying sexual sensations, activating libido, deepening orgasm, facilitating ejaculation, and stimulating vaginal contractions. They also increase uterine and bladder wall muscle tone. They heighten sensory nerve excitability, sharpening vision (especially sensitivity to blue light), deepening smell and taste acuity, and increasing touch sensitivity (lasting up to 3 days in some individuals). They stimulate the heart’s conduction system, accelerating heart rate, enhancing contraction strength, and increasing cardiac excitability. Doses of 5-10 mg strongly stimulate spinal reflexes and muscle tone, though movements may become impaired, often leading to muscle contractures, especially under environmental stimuli.
Strychnine and Strychnos preparations are rapidly absorbed from the intestines into the blood and lymph within 20 minutes and excreted unchanged in urine. Their mechanism of action involves reducing synaptic resistance through partial depolarization of the postsynaptic membrane, particularly in spinal, optic thalamus, and ganglionic synapses. This increases spinal reflexes, leading to heightened striated muscle tone and glucose release into the blood (hyperglycemia). Strychnine is a competitive antagonist of the glycine receptor, an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord and brainstem. Strychnine and brucine are slowly excreted from the body over 5-7 days.
According to
Pharmacopoea Helvetica IV of 1907, Strychnos seeds –
Semen Strychni (German: Brechnuss, French: Noix vomique, Italian: Noce vomica) should contain no more than 3.5% ash and at least 2.5% alkaloids.
Dosis max. simpl. (maximum single dose) 0.1 g (100 mg),
dosis max. pro die (maximum daily dose) 0.2 g (200 mg). Official preparations included
Extractum Strychni and
Tinctura Strychni. The Strychnos tincture –
Tinctura Strychni (German: Brechnusstinktur, French: Teinture de noix vomique, Italian: Tintura di noce vomica) contained at least 0.25% alkaloids and about 57-60% alcohol.
Dosis max. simpl. (maximum single dose) 1 g;
dosis max. pro die (maximum daily dose) 2 g.
Nux vomica is listed in the
British Pharmacopoeia of 1932; official preparations:
Extractum Nucis Vomicae Liquidum,
Tinctura Nucis Vomicae,
Extractum Nucis Vomicae siccum,
Nux Vomica pulverata (max 3% ash).
Powdered Nux Vomica contains about 1.2% strychnine (range: 1.14-1.26%), diluted with lactose.
Tinctura Nucis Vomicae (
Tincture of Nux Vomica) contained 0.125% strychnine (range: 0.119-0.131%; alcohol content: 47-50%; doses: 0.6-1 ml (10-30 minims)).
Liquid extract of Strychnos seeds –
Extractum Nucis Vomicae Liquidum per Pharm. British –
Liquid Extract of Nux Vomica contained 1.5% strychnine (range: 1.425-1.575%); doses: 0.06-0.2 ml (1-3 minims).
Dry extract of Strychnos seeds –
Extractum Nucis Vomicae siccum –
Dry Extract of Nux Vomica contained 5% strychnine (range: 4.75-5.25%), prepared with 70% alcohol via percolation; doses: 0.015-0.06 g (1/4-1 grain).
The older
British Pharmacopoeia of 1867 also includes Strychnos, strychnine, and Strychnos preparations:
Nux Vomica from
Strychnos Nux vomica Linne,
Extractum Nucis Vomicae,
Strychnia, and
Tinctura Nucis Vomicae.
Tinctura Nucis Vomicae – Tincture of Nux Vomica (
Nux Vomica 2 ounces, rectified spirit 1 pint) – dose: 10-20 minims.
Polish Pharmacopoeia III includes
Semen Strychni – Strychnos seeds from
Strychnos Nux vomica Linne, containing at least 2.5% alkaloids, calculated based on the average molecular weight of strychnine C21H22O2N2 (MW 334.2) and brucine C23H26O4N2 (MW 394.2; average 364.2). Per FP III, only standardized Strychnos seed powder with 2.5% alkaloids should be used for prescription formulations, prepared by mixing powdered seeds with lactose to achieve the specified alkaloid content. Requirements align with the older Swiss Pharmacopoeia of 1907. Maximum single dose of powdered seeds: 0.1 g (100 mg); maximum daily dose: 0.3 g (300 mg). FP III also describes
strychnine nitrate – Strychninum nitricum C21H22O2N2
HNO3 (MW 397.4) – colorless, odorless crystals with a very bitter taste, soluble in 90 ml room-temperature water, 5 parts boiling water, 70 ml ethanol, and nearly insoluble in ether, chloroform, and carbon disulfide. Maximum single dose: 0.005 g (5 mg); maximum daily dose: 0.01 g (10 mg). Tinctura Strychni = Tinctura Nucis Vomicae* – a light yellow, very bitter tincture – should contain 0.24-0.26% alkaloids (based on the average molecular weight of strychnine and brucine, 364.2).
Preparation of Tinctura Strychni:
Semen Strychni crushed and sifted through sieve IV, 100 parts
Mixture of
Spiritus 95% 676 parts +
Aqua 324 parts –
quantum satis (as needed).
Moisten 100 parts of powdered Strychnos seeds evenly with 40 parts of the prescribed solvent and percolate according to general instructions. Specific gravity: 0.895-0.910; ash: 0.03-0.04%; dry residue: 1.2-1.5%; alcohol content: 66-69% by volume. Maximum single dose: 1 g; maximum daily dose: 3 g.
Historical Medical Uses of Strychnine:
– Muscle weakness, central-origin paralysis,
– Impotence, reduced libido,
– Involuntary and nocturnal urination,
– Physical and mental weakness, including in debilitating and infectious diseases,
– Hypotension,
– Collapse, fainting,
– Narcotic and sedative poisoning,
– Retinal vision impairment, gradual vision loss due to optic nerve atrophy,
– Labyrinthine hearing loss,
– Gastrointestinal atony,
– Anorexia,
– Despondency, loss of will to fight illness, depression, “mental lows,” lack of appetite, digestive and intestinal transit disorders; helplessness in cancer,
– Reluctance for physical and mental effort,
– Pneumonia.
Strychninum nitricum –
strychnine nitrate: Orally in powders, pills, solutions at 3 mg; intramuscular or subcutaneous injections of 1-2-3 mg. Maximum single dose: 0.005 g; maximum daily dose: 0.01 g.
Contraindications: Pregnancy, lactation.
Strychninum isovalerianicum –
strychnine isovalerate – a very interesting and effective compound. Formerly used for nervous exhaustion, neuroses, low blood pressure, and circulatory-respiratory disorders. Administered via subcutaneous injections, daily 1 ampoule of 0.0015/1 ml or 0.003/1 ml. In my practice, I used an alcoholic solution of strychnine isovalerate at 3 mg, 1-2 times daily, with excellent results.
Poisoning. Strychnine and Strychnos preparations require precise dosing. A scale measuring 1-3 mg is indispensable. Strychnos should only be used by experienced and skilled phytotherapists. In strychnine poisoning (20-200 mg), initial symptoms include difficulty swallowing, neck stiffness, anxiety, muscle tremors, and spasms in the face and lower limbs. This progresses to a facial grimace resembling a smile (
Risus sardonicus). This is followed by clonic and then tonic (tetanic) seizures. Light, sound, or touch can trigger convulsive attacks, during which the body arches backward (
opisthotonus) or forward (
emprosthotonus), legs extend, arms flex, and the abdomen and chest become board-like. Consciousness remains intact despite impaired breathing. The poisoned individual experiences panic, exhaustion, and muscle pain. Attacks last from 1/4 to 1/2 seconds, rarely a few minutes. Death (typically after 2-5 hours) results from asphyxiation, often after 3-5 attacks. After each attack, the individual suffers extreme mental and physical exhaustion, fear, drowsiness, and muscle fatigue. Strychnine is slowly metabolized and excreted, leading to accumulation with repeated doses, which must be considered during prolonged use. Historically, poisoning was treated by gastric lavage with potassium permanganate (4 g/L water) or 2% tannin solution, activated charcoal, and laxatives. Patients were placed in a dark, quiet environment away from intense stimuli. Magnesium sulfate was given parenterally, chloral hydrate orally or rectally, hexobarbital, bromide preparations, and iodine tincture (10 drops every 10 minutes) orally. Ether inhalation or artificial respiration (intubation) was sometimes employed.
Strychnine’s cardiac effects are ambiguous. Strychnine stimulates the vasomotor center but slows the heart rate, constricting visceral (including renal) blood vessels and raising blood pressure. It reduces excessive cardiac muscle excitability. A dilated atrium prone to fibrillation may stabilize due to increased wall tension, mitigating absolute arrhythmia (e.g., in mitral stenosis, tricuspid valve defects, or transient excitability issues in healthy hearts, such as from stress). Strychnine was used in infectious diseases with myocarditis (
Łowicki J.A., Brejtman M.J., 1937; Leszczyński R.J., 1931). Jochweds B. and Izgur Al. (1939) note that most authors deny strychnine, at standard therapeutic doses, enhances cardiac muscle tone or contraction strength, suggesting it inhibits cardiac excitability. Nonetheless, it is an undeniably active substance, and claims by some clinicians (Mackenzie, Parkinson, Rowland) that it has no cardiovascular effect beyond psychological stimulation in exhaustion are untenable. Opinions on its use in hypertension vary: most clinicians fear further pressure increases, but some administer it in exhaustion with high blood pressure, aligning with Mackenzie’s view. Jochweds and Izgur injected 1-2 mg intravenously in hypertensive patients without notable pressure changes, either immediately or long-term.
Strychnine stimulates the respiratory center (deepening and accelerating breathing) and vagus nerve center, then Auerbach’s plexus. It temporarily enhances retinal excitability in normal and diseased eyes, improving visual acuity, color differentiation, and expanding the visual field, especially temporally for blue. It sharpens taste (sweet, bitter, sour) and increases smooth and skeletal muscle tone.
Professor J. Hano (1955) provided highly accurate data on strychnine doses and effects, consistent with my observations. Strychnine is widely used at 1-2 mg as a tonic, enhancing sensory and visceral smooth muscle reflexes. At these doses, it has no effect in an average-weight person. Doses of 5-10 mg markedly affect all spinal animal reflexes but not circulation, uterus, bladder, or intestines in hypodynamic states—though I’ve personally noted clear effects on the bladder and Auerbach’s plexus. I agree with Prof. Hano that 1-2 mg doses are a good digestive tonic, increasing saliva, gastric, pancreatic, and intestinal secretions, boosting appetite and digestion. He notes strychnine was once misused for all narcotic poisonings: “Today, partly due to picrotoxin’s scarcity, strychnine is used in large doses of 0.01-0.02 g, injected subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously, to rescue patients poisoned by barbituric acid derivatives. Despite its cumulative properties, these doses can be injected multiple times daily until reflexes and voluntary movements return, then discontinued. These doses could be lethal to a healthy person” (I believe they are lethal to a healthy individual).
Dr. Fr. Penzoldt (1891), known for critiquing contemporary remedies, assessed strychnine: “In some cases of partial blindness and double vision, strychnine may offer some benefit, but otherwise, it has little medicinal value.” Its bitter taste is detectable at 1:60,000. Strychnine has preservative properties (solutions don’t spoil). Penzoldt noted vision improvements, even in blindness not due to anatomical changes, via subcutaneous injections near the temples. It was less effective for motor paralysis but reportedly improved incomplete paralysis (
paresis) post-disease. Unbiased researchers saw no special digestive benefit beyond other bitter drugs. “…currently, strychnine injections are highly praised for alcoholism. – Since pure strychnine can be used safely with caution, it’s preferable to other Strychnos preparations.” Penzoldt’s dosing scheme, widely valued then, was: “orally or subcutaneously: 0.001 to 0.01(!) g per dose, up to 0.02(!) g daily. Start at 0.002 g, increase by 0.001 g daily to 0.01 g, maintain for 56 days, then pause for 10-12 days.”
Strychnine was used medicinally as acetate (Strychninum aceticum), sulfate (Strychninum sulfuricum), cacodylate (Strychninum kakodylicum), nitrate (Strychninum nitricum), hydrochloride (Strychninum hydrochloricum), hydrobromide (Strychninum hydrobromicum), and isovalerate (Strychninum isovalerianicum), as well as in pure form (Strychninum purum). Strychnine and Strychnos preparations were often combined with arsenic, glycerophosphate, phosphorus, iron, vitamins, quinine, honey, cardamom, belladonna, ipecac, and others.
['Ancient and Modern Medicine: Dr. Henryk Różański; medical and biological sciences; phytotherapy, phytochemistry…' Strychnine – Strychninum and Strychnos in Medicine]. Dec 31 2010 [blog entry]
Original titles:
'Medycyna dawna i współczesna: Dr Henryk Różański; nauki medyczne i biologiczne; fitoterapia, fitochemia…' Strychnina – Strychninum i kulczyba – Strychnos w medycynie
What is fentanyl like playing with a little gasoline and fire or TNT you don't know how quick the fuse burns though plus the stick is right next to the detonator?
