Maqian – 馬錢 – Poisonnut – Nuxvomica – Snake Wood – Poisonnut – Strychnos – Snakewood Strychinine

Description

Maqian – 馬錢 – Poisonnut – Nuxvomica – Snake Wood – Poisonnut – Strychnos – Snakewood Strychinine, Nuxvomica Tree

Science Name / Latin Pharmaceutical Name: Strychnos nuxvomica L.

– Parts of plants that have useful value: seeds.

– Family & Genus: Loganiaceae, Strychnos

• • Description     Arbor, 10-13 meter high. Bark grey, with lenticels, branch smooth. Simple leaf opposite, coriaceous, broadly ovate or nearly round, 6-15cm long, 3-9cm wide, tip suddenly pointed or emarginate, basal part broad wedge shaped or round, entire, smooth and hairless, main vein 5, rarely 3, with dorsal process, thin vein irregularly reticular; leaf axil with short tendrils; petiole 5-12mm long. Paniculate cymes axillary, 3-5cm long, 2.5-5cm in diameter, covered with short soft hairs; phyllary and bractlet small, triangular, tip sharp, covered with short soft hairs; flower white, nearly sessile; calyx green, with 5 lobes in the tip, densely covered with short soft hairs; corolla tubular, with 5 lobes in the tip, lobe ovate, inner surface densely grown with short hairs; stamens 5, grown in the laryngeal part of corolla tube, filament extremely short, anther yellow, elliptic; stamen 9.5-12mm long, style cylindrical, up to 11mm long, stigma head shaped; ovary ovate. Berry spherical, 2-4cm in diameter, green before maturity, orange when mature, surface smooth. Seeds 1-4, disc shaped, 1-3cm in diameter, surface greyish yellow, densely covered with silvery tomentums, silky. Flowering: spring and summer; fruiting-August -January of following year.
  • The medicinal materials are mainly produced in Yunnan, India, Vietnam, Burma and etc.
  • Harvest & Processing               Collected in winter when fruits become mature, taken the seeds, well washed, and sun-dried.
  • Chemistry: Seed contains alkaloids, such as strychnine, brucine, pseudostrychnine and pseudobrucine, etc.
  • Pharmacology: Centra- nervous-system exciting, promoting digestive function and anti-tumor, and antibacterial.
  • Properties & Actions Bitter, cold, very toxic.Strengthening muscle, warming the meridians, detoxifying, dissipating stasis, relieving pain and dispersing swelling.
  • Indications & Usage:  Rheumatic arthralgia, skin numbness, paralysis, injuries caused by falls, fractures and swelling pain, sores caused by varnish poisoning, refractory tinea, malignant tumor, superficial infection and pyocutaneous disease, pharyngitis, toothache.Oral administration: made as pills or powders, 0.2-0.6g per time. Megadose 0.9g. External application: appropriate amount, powdered and scattered, immersed in water, grinded with vinegar, stir-heated out oil for application, or prepared plaster for application. Not use in case of pregnancy or weak health.
  • Examples:
    1. Pharyngitis with pain: dog button, birthwor root, root of straight sophora in equal amounts. Grind into a powder and blow onto the lesions.
    2. Hot and bearable toothache: half a dog button, grind with a small cup of morning well water, gargle, and spit after it becomes hot, and pain will be relieved after all water is used.

Maqian – 馬錢 – Poisonnut – Nuxvomica – Snake Wood – Poisonnut – Strychnos – Snakewood Strychinine, Nuxvomica Tree

• • 植物形態: 喬木，高10-13米。樹皮灰色，具皮孔，枝光滑。單葉對生，革質，廣卵形或近圓形，長6-15厘米，寬3-9厘米，先端急尖或微凹，基部廣楔形或圓形，全緣，光滑無毛，主脈5條，罕3條，背面突起，細脈成不規則網狀；葉腋有短捲鬚；葉柄長5-12毫米。圓錐狀聚傘花序腋生，長3-5厘米，直徑2.5-5厘米，被短柔毛；總苞片及小苞片均小，三角形，先端尖，被短柔毛；花白色，近無梗；花萼綠色，先端5裂，密被短柔毛；花冠筒狀，先端5裂，裂片卵形，內面密生短毛；雄蕊5，著生於花冠管喉部，花絲極短，花藥黃色，橢圓形；雌蕊長9.5-12毫米，花柱圓柱形，長達11毫米，柱頭頭狀；子房卵形。漿果球形，直徑2-4厘米，幼時綠色，成熟時橙色，表面光滑。種子1-4顆，圓盤形，直徑1-3厘米，表面灰黃色，密被銀色茸毛，有絲光。花期春夏季，果明8月至翌年1月。
  • 生境分佈: 藥材主產雲南，印度，越南，緬甸等地。
  • 藥用部位: 以種子入藥。中藥名: 馬錢子。
  • 採收加工: 秋冬季果實成熟時摘下，取出種子，洗淨附著的果肉，曬乾。
  • 主要成分: 種子含生物鹼類成分，如番木鼈鹼(strychnine)，馬錢子鹼(brucine)，偽番木鼈鹼(pseudostrychnine)，偽馬錢子鹼(pseudobrucine)等成分。
  • 藥理作用: 興奮中樞神經系統，促進消化機能，抗腫瘤，抗菌。
  • 性味功能: 苦，寒，大毒。強筋通絡，解毒，散結止痛，消腫。
  • 主治用法: 風濕痹痛，肌膚麻木，肢體癱瘓，跌打損傷，骨折腫痛，癘風，頑癬，惡性腫瘤，癰疽瘡毒，喉痹，牙痛。內服: 炮製後入丸，散，每次0.2-0.6克。大劑量0.9克。外用: 適量，研末撒，浸水，醋磨，煎油塗敷或熬膏攤貼。孕婦及體虛者忌服。
  • 應用舉例:
    1. 喉痺作痛: 番木鱉，青木香，山豆根等分。為末吹。(醫方摘要)
    2. 熱牙痛不可忍: 番木鱉半個，井花水磨一小盞，含漱，熱即吐去，水完則疼止。(握靈本草)