Strychnos

Liana , whose shoots are covered with a rough brown bark. The plant is characterized by paired leaves with very short pedicels, growing on round pubescent branches of rusty-brown color. The length of these leathery shiny oblong leaves reaches 7.5 cm. The flowers are white, very fragrant. After flowering, a fruit is formed - a yellow berry .

The poison ( curare , stored in pots, calabash) is obtained from the roots and stems of this particular plant. The toxic alkaloids of Strychnos toxifera are strychnine and brucin .

Strychnine inhibits the action of the cholinesterase enzyme , resulting in muscle and respiratory paralysis . Brucin causes a strong heartbeat, which soon reaches critical values ​​leading to complete cardiac arrest. Such symptoms are observed when toxic substances enter the bloodstream. Strychnine, obtained from seeds and taken orally, acts somewhat differently: first it causes an increase in the secretion of gastric juice , then, getting into the intestine, is rapidly absorbed and has a characteristic effect on the central nervous system , which is manifested in the excitation of the vagus nerve , resulting in deeper breathing and the heartbeat slows down.

This toxic effect of strychnine causes an increase in adrenaline , which causes stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system , which, in turn, can lead to a rapid increase in blood pressure and a sudden cardiac arrest. Death occurs in terrible convulsions arising from the simultaneous stimulation of the motor and sensory nodes of the spinal cord . The symptoms of death from strychnine poisoning are very similar to those of death from tetanus .