Strychnine: what is it?

Strychnine is a alkaloid indolent extremely toxic extract from the nuts from the vomit (Strychnos nux vomica). Very famous as poison, it comes in the form of odorless and colorless crystals with a very bitter taste.

Crude formula C₂₁H₂₂NOT₂O₂, strychnine was isolated in 1818 by the French pharmacochemists, Pierre Joseph Pelletier and Joseph Caventou. But its effects have been known since Antiquity: it would have been served to Alexander the Great in the form of a decoction mixed with flavored wine to poison him. It was used in France until 1999 in the fight against foxes and small rodents in France, and the Australian aborigines still use it to paralyze the Pisces.

Strychnine as a dopant

Receptor antagonist wisteria, a neurotransmitter of central nervous system, strychnine increases respiratory capacities and induces sensory and muscular hyperactivity. As such, it acts as a doping. The winner of the 1904 marathon, Thomas Hicks, was thus doped by his coaches with a mixture of strychnine, raw egg white and brandy, from which he nearly died. Several other athletes then tested positive. Adolf Hitler himself reportedly took up to six doses of strychnine per day during World War II.

Strychnine as a poison

In high doses (between 30 and 100 mg), strychnine is lethal, with a very rapid and powerful effect. It causes hyperactivity of motor neurons, with exaggerated excitement to even weak stimuli (noise, light, etc.), convulsions, vomiting and reflex spasms. Death comes through asphyxia fast and cardiac arrest, the poisoned person remaining conscious until the end.

Strychnine is omnipresent in detective novels, especially those of Agatha Christie, Georges Simenon or Sir Arthur conan doyle. It is also found in many films and series (Barry lyndon, The Nerves to Vif, Prison Break…).

There is noantidote with strychnine. Treatment is symptomatic and relies on the use of muscle relaxants, mainly benzodiazepines (diazepam for example). The rest of the treatment consists of limiting the stimuli as much as possible to avoid seizures.

Strychnine as a medicine

At very low doses, strychnine acts on smooth muscles, especially in case of atony of the digestive tract. In homeopathy, the vomit nut extract is marketed under the name Nux vomica. It is recommended against travel sickness, the‘excess alcohol or food, reflux gastroesophageal hemorrhoids where the stress.