The fruits of poison nut or strychnine, Strychnos nux-vomica, from a tree native to the tropical rain forests of southeast Asia, resemble a small orange in shape and color. Embedded within a white gel-like pulp are several round, flat, glossy, yellow-green seeds with silky hairs. The disk-shaped seeds yield the poisonous alkaloid strychnine.
Introduced to Europe in the 15th cent it became another toxic substance in the European arsenal of poisons. Later it was recognized as a medicine for its ability to relieve paralysis and stimulate the central nervous system.
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