Ma Qian Zi

Strychnos nux-vomica is a small deciduous tree of the Loganiaceae, native to the dry deciduous forests of India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and parts of Southeast Asia, reaching about 10–13 m. The bark is grey and the wood pale, hard, and bitter. Opposite, glossy ovate leaves 5–10 cm long display three to five prominent palmate veins. Small greenish-white tubular flowers appear in terminal cymes, succeeded by orange to scarlet globose berries 4–6 cm across, each containing several flat, disc-shaped grey-velvety seeds about 2 cm in diameter. The seeds are the medicinal organ and the source of the alkaloids strychnine and brucine. The substance is extremely toxic in the raw state; all medicinal preparations across traditions require careful detoxification (oil frying, sand-roasting, or prolonged decoction in milk).