The important medicinal plants belonging to this family are:
1. Brucea antidysenterica
2. Curare
3. Gelsemium
4. Hoang-nan
5. Ignatia amara
6. Nuxvomica
7. Spigelia anthelmia
8. Spigelia marilandica
9. Upas tiente
Most of these plants are highly poisonous

INDIVIDUAL DRUG PICTURE AND CLINICAL USES

(1)BRUCEA ANITIDYSENTERICA
Common name - Angustura falsa
Tincture and triturations are made from the bark
Active principle - alkaloid strychnine
Clinical - Headache; Gastric complaints.
 
Suited to hypochondriacal persons who are gloomy and melancholic. Sad and gloomy humour on waking in the morning.
Headache with heaviness and confusion. Headache usually in the evening, after having walked long in the Sunshine Shooting in the head < by waking especially in the sun and also after eating.
Acute pains in the teeth and in the gums <on drinking cold water.
Digestion is weak. Appetite poor with Ciammy taste inside the mouth. Accumulation of saliva in the mouth forcing one to spite continually. Sensation of heat and burning in the pit of the stomach. Sensation of throbbing in the pit of the stomach and over the entire abdomen. After a meal, violent beating of heart, <of headache, rumbling in abdomen and frequent small, slimy evacuations followed by fainting compelling to lie down.
Sensation of fatigue in extremities especially in the thihgs and in the loins great weariness when walking. Disposition to stretch the limbs and to yawn.
Sleepiness especially after dinner, in the evening sleep troubled with frightful, terrifying dreams.
Fever with shivering and excessive coldness<during rest.

(2)CURARE
Common name - woorare, woorali, Hoorali.
Tincture is prepared from the bark of the tree.
Active Principle - Alkaloid curarine

• It is used as an arrow poison by South American Indians. It blocks the receptors, causing a flaccid paralysis of skeletal muscles without impairing sensation and consciousness. Death occurs due to paralysis of respiratory muscles. Reflex action is diminished or abolished.

• Mentally the person is depressed. With desire to be alone. Inability to think or study. Is forgetful. Feels stupid and sleepy.

• Vertigo while standing or walking Dizziness and giddiness when looking at near objects or at water. Brain feels full of fluid. Lacinating pain all over the head. Head drawn backward with stiffness of neck. Neuralgic pain radiates to neck and face especially to right side,<from vigorous movement, mastication and coughing. Feels shattered and side of head must be held.

• Heavy eyes, ptosis of right eye and black spots before vision Lancinating pains starting from ears and reaching down legs compelling the person to lie-down.

• Facial and buccal paralysis with difficulty in swallowing. Mouth and tongue drawn to right.

• Increased thirst and appetite. Sudden hunger almost to faintness>after first mouthful of food. Great thirst esp. in evening and night. Frequent and annoying hiccough.

• In diabetes mellitus with clear and frequent urine, sugar in urine, dry mouth, great thirst and appetite, great emaciation with extreme nervous weakness and debility.

• Dyspnoea from threatened paralysis of respiration on falling asleep. Distressing dyspnoea <damp weather. <ascending Chronic cough, always dry with for soreness of chest wall cough<breathing cold air, <laughing, eating, moving.

• Paralysis of extemities complete paralysis of right deltoid. Leaden heaviness of arms. Legs trembling and give way in walking.

        Fever with chill creeping up the back Chill from stomach and abdomen, spreads all over Chill without thirst.

(3) GELSEMIUM SEM PERVIRENS
Common name - yellow jasmine/Brignonia.
Tincture is made from the bark of the plant.
Active principle - Gelsemine (mydriatic).

Centers its action up on the nervous system producing varying degree of paresis both mental and bodily. Complete relaxation, prostration and weakness of muscular system with incor-ordination. Paralysis of various groups of muscles about the eyes, throat, larynx sphincters, extremities etc. The mental prostration is signified by examination funk, stage fright. It has many complaints brought on from emotional excitement, fright and bad news. Alcoholic stimulants relieve all complaints where gels is useful.

• Dullness of mental faculties. Desires to be quite, to be left alone. Inclination to commit suicide by throwing oneself from a height.

• Vertigo spreading from the occiput. Staggering as if intoxicated when trying to move<from smoking <by sudden movement of the head & walking.

• Sick headache beginning in the occiput pain extending over the head causing bursting pain forehead and eyeballs esp of right side, <At loam, motion, light> by compression and lying with head high, sleep and vomiting> passing of copious clear urine.The muscles of the face seem to be contracted making it difficult to speak. Numbness of tongue, feels thick making speech difficult

• Paretic condition of throat with difficult deglutition. Sensation as if a foreign body were lodged in the throat. Post diphtheritic paralysis.

• Paralysis of sphincter ani, with prolapse ani. Even soft stool in passed with difficulty.

• Paralysis of sphincter of the bladder Genitals cold and relaxed.
  Spasmodic labour pains, inefficient labour pains or none at all complete atony. os widely dilated.

• Unsteady gait. Fatigue after Slightest exercise. Trembling.

• Intermittent fever, influenza. Intense chill. Chilliness, wavelike up and down back. Prostration and muscular soreness. Thirstless.

(4) HOANG - NAN
Common name - Strychnos gaultheriana/Tropical Bind - weed.
Tincture made from dried bark
Active principle - strychnine and brucine contains. (Greater quantity of brucine.)

It has great reputation as remedy for leprosy, hydrophobia, snakebites and diseases of the skin. In animals poisoned with it there is tetanic convulsions beginning in the hind legs and spreading over the rest of the body
Indicated in exhaustion with numbness and tingling in hands and feet. Also in various skin affections such as eczema, pustules, boils, leprosy, and old ulcers useful in removing the fetor and haemorhage in cancer.
Indicated in mental lassitude and exhaustion with numbness and tingling in hands and feet
Skin affections such as pustular eczena, boils, carbuncles, leprosy and old ulcers.
Useful in removing fetor and haemorrhage in cancer.

(5) IGNATIA AMARA
Common name - St. Ignatius bean.
Tincture and trituration of seeds
Active principle - Strychnine
Seeds of Ignatia contains greater proportion of strychnine than those of Nux vomica.
Ignatia produces a marked hyperaesthesia of all senses. It is one of the cheif remedies for hysteria. Especially suited to sensitive women of nervous temparament. Rapid change of mental and physical symptoms opposite to each other. Rich in contradictory symptoms. The superficial and eratic or changeable character of its symptom is the most characteristics. Useful in complaints brought on from affects of grief and worry, shocks, disappointment, tobacco etc.

(6). NUX VOMICA
Common name - Poison nut
Tincture and triturations are prepared from the seeds.
Active principle - strychnine and brucine
Suitable to oversensitive persons, sensitive to all impression, - noises, ordor, light etc. leading a sedentary life and those who are subjected to a great deal of mental strain. Especially suited to digestive disturbances, portal congestion and hypochondriacal states dependent upon indulgences in wine, stimulant, allopathic drugging and other vices. Has a prominent action upon central nervous system producing convulsions with consciousness.

(7) SPIGELIA ANTHELMIA
Common name - pink root
Tincture prepared from dried herb.
Tincture prepared from dried herb.

Spigelia is adapted to anaemic, scrofulous subjects of a rheumatic diathesis.
Sadness and discouragement to the extent of suicidal mania. Afraid of pointed things, pins etc.
Periodic neuralgic headache, left sided <every jar, step, even straining at stool, from opening mouth.<suddenly turning the head. >rest, lying with head high and washing head with cold water.
Neuralgia of fifth cranial nerve; left sided ciliary neuralgia. Eyeballs feel too large<on moving them. Convergent squint prosopalgia left sided. Cannot bear slightest touch and motion. Periodical neuralgia from morning until sunset.
Tooth ache unbearable at night.
<cold water, open air, lying on right side
>by tobacco smoke, warmth of bed, while eating.
Excellent remedy for worm affections esp. round worms.
Rheumatic aflections of heart. pericarditis violent palpitations. Noise in chest, like that made by a spinning wheel. Organic affections of heart with rubbing, bellows sounds Stitches in heart synchronous with pulse<curving the chest forward and by sitting down.
Exopthalmic goiter with cardiac complications.

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