What are the uses of Strychnos nux-vomica seeds?

SKĐS - In traditional medicine, Strychnos nux-vomica seeds are considered a remedy for promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, reducing swelling, strengthening bones and joints, and improving spleen and stomach function. However, Strychnos nux-vomica seeds are highly toxic, leading to respiratory paralysis and death if used in excessive doses.

Distinguish the shapes of Strychnos nux-vomica seeds to avoid confusion.

Strychnos nux-vomica seeds are flattened, button-shaped, 1-3 cm in diameter and 3-6 mm thick, with slightly raised edges, usually concave on one side and slightly protruding on the other. The surface is grayish-brown or bluish-gray, densely covered with smooth, silvery-gray hairs radiating from the center. The seed margin has a raised ridge and a small, raised membrane. A slightly protruding hilum, resembling a dot, is located in the center of the underside, with a faint raised line between the membrane and the membrane. They are hard and difficult to break. After soaking, a longitudinal cut along the edge reveals a pale yellow, horny, and thick endosperm with a central void and a heart-shaped embryo near the membrane. There are two thin cotyledons, 5-6 mm long, with five palmate veins. The radicle is about 4 mm long.

The effects of Strychnos nux-vomica seeds

In traditional medicine, Strychnos nux-vomica seeds are bitter, warm in nature, and extremely toxic, affecting the liver and spleen meridians. To use Strychnos nux-vomica seeds, they must be processed and prepared according to strict procedures. Unprocessed seeds are highly toxic, primarily affecting the limbs and causing back pain.

Processed Strychnos nux-vomica seeds have the effect of clearing meridians, relieving pain, dispelling stagnation, and reducing swelling. They can treat persistent rheumatism, paralysis, sore throat, injuries from falls, swelling and pain from boils, sequelae after polio, and rheumatoid arthritis. However, if processed rigorously, Strychnos nux-vomica seeds can also treat and support limb function, reducing spasms, pain, and paralysis.

Strychnos nux-vomica seeds are extremely poisonous, but when processed correctly and rigorously, they become a potent remedy for bone and joint diseases.

Toxicity found in strychnine seeds

According to modern medical research, numerous clinical cases have shown that the seeds of Strychnos nux-vomica contain dozens of chemical components, including alkaloids, glycosides, acids, and alcohols. Alkaloids account for approximately 1.5-5% of the total alkaloid content, including strychnine, brucine, pseudostrychnine, isobrucine, and isobrucine. Strychnine and strychnine together account for about 80% of the total alkaloids, with strychnine being the main alkaloid, accounting for 40-50%, followed by strychnine, which accounts for about 30-40%.

Studies have shown that strychnine and brucine are the toxic components of nux vomica. The therapeutic dose of strychnine is very close to the toxic dose; a single dose of 5–10 mg in adults can cause poisoning, while doses of 30–100 mg can be fatal.

The recommended dosage of strychnine seeds is no more than 0.3-0.6g. Doses of 1-3g can cause poisoning. Consuming more than 7g of unprocessed strychnine seeds can be fatal. Symptoms of poisoning appear within 30-180 minutes.

Symptoms of thrush seed poisoning

Typical seizures caused by severe neurotoxicity usually occur 10 to 30 minutes after ingestion. Initial symptoms include headache, dizziness, irritability, rapid breathing, stiffness of the chewing and neck muscles, cramps, difficulty swallowing, and constricted pupils, followed by muscle spasms until tonic seizures occur. During a seizure, the patient exhibits rigidity, teeth grinding, clenched fists, and extended limbs, with a forced smile. The patient is usually alert, with each seizure lasting one to two minutes before the muscles begin to relax. However, any stimulus can trigger another seizure. Severe, recurrent seizures, occurring five to six or more times, often lead to death due to respiratory paralysis, asphyxiation, or cardiac failure from medullary paralysis and cardiac and respiratory depression.

Treatment for poisoning: Take the patient to the nearest hospital immediately and place them in a dark, quiet environment, away from light, sound, and other external stimuli.

How to process strychnine seeds for medicinal purposes.

Select fresh Strychnos nux-vomica seeds, remove impurities, and sift out the ash. Remove any remaining hairs and crush them before use.

2. Preparation of Strychnos nux-vomica: Put clean sand in a pot and heat over high heat. Add clean Strychnos nux-vomica and stir-fry until it turns dark brown, swells up, becomes reddish-brown inside, and has small bubbles. Remove from the heat, discard the hairs, and let cool. Use for grinding or crushing into a paste.

3. Sautéing Strychnos nux-vomica seeds: Put clean Strychnos nux-vomica seeds in a pot, cook over high heat until the seeds swell, then scrape off the hairs and grind into a powder.

Powdered horse chestnut is widely used in traditional medicine.

4. Strychnos nux-vomica seeds soaked in oil: Take clean strychnos nux-vomica seeds, boil them until cooked, remove them, soak them in water, remove them, scrape off the hairs, dry them in the sun, slice them thinly, and dry them again. Heat a little sesame oil in a pot, add the strychnos nux-vomica seeds, stir-fry until light yellow, remove them, and let them cool.

5. Strychnos nux-vomica and licorice: Wash the strychnos nux-vomica and licorice thoroughly, soak them in water for 20-30 days (change the water once a day until the strychnos nux-vomica turns white, then replace with new strychnos nux-vomica and continue soaking), wash thoroughly, remove the hairs, and slice; or after washing, stir-fry them with clay until the inside turns brown, scrape off the hairs, sift, and crush.

Of course, the toxicity of Strychnos nux-vomica persists even after various processing steps. Therefore, the components used to process Strychnos nux-vomica must be used exclusively for this purpose and not for processing other medicinal materials. During processing, any part of the Strychnos nux-vomica must be burned immediately and not discarded indiscriminately. Special caution is needed when using Strychnos nux-vomica for medicinal purposes.

In general, absolutely do not use products containing the active ingredient Strychnos nux-vomica without consulting a doctor. If it is necessary to use them, you must contact qualified doctors for accurate advice to avoid self-treatment which could lead to unwanted poisoning.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/hat-ma-tien-co-tac-dung-gi-169251231080110289.htm