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From the article: "Its structure was determined by Sir Robert Robinson and Herman Leuchs in 1946." - the latter died in 1945. Removed the year. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Chymæra (talk • contribs) 05:48, 24 July 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The "Notable strychnine poisonings" listed Margot Begemann as one of the wives of Vincent van Gogh. He was never married. I removed this total inaccuracy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.20.177.60 (talk) 05:30, 23 November 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Someone should add information about the stimulant properties of Strychnine. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.255.42.187 (talk) 18:49, 23 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It's mentioned in the books, Foul Play: Drug Abuse in Sports and Death in the Locker Room: Steroids, Cocaine & Sports.

Foul Play

Referring to European cyclists in the 19th century: The French used a mixture known as ‘Caffeine Houdes’ while the Belgians sucked on sugar cubes dipped in ether. The riders’ black coffee was ‘boosted’ with extra caffeine and peppermint, and as the race progressed the mixture was spiked with increasing doses of cocaine or strychnine. Brandy was also frequently added to cups of tea.

It is known that many of these riders were given strychnine during competition.

At very low doses, strychnine has a stimulant effect, but at higher doses is extremely poisonous. (1. Introduction, pages 3 & 4)

In the 1904 Olympic Marathon at St. Louis, an Englishman named Thomas Hicks, who was running for the USA, was helped to victory with the use of brandy and possibly strychnine. Similarly, Dorando Pietri was also suspected of taking strychnine in the 190$ Olympic Marathon in London. Pietri collapsed a few metres from the finishing line and was helped to his feet by several spectators, but their assistance caused his subsequent disqualification. (1. Introduction, p. 5)

Doctors alleged that one competitor at the [1956] Melbourne Games showed spasms characteristic of strychnine poisoning. (1. Introduction, p. 5)

During the same year, several cyclists failed doping tests at the [1967] World Championships in Amsterdam. Five were found to be using amphetamines, six using ephedrine and two had been taking strychnine. (1. Introduction, p. 7)

Death in the Locker Room

In 1904, the games were in St. Louis, and it took four frantic physicians to revive Tom Hicks, who collapsed after he won the marathon. The physicians discovered that Hicks had taken a large dose of strychnine and brandy before he went out on the track. (Drugs in Sports Means the Death of Sports, p. 27)

Donohoe, Tom, and Neil Johnson. Foul Play: Drug Abuse in Sports. Oxford, England: Basil Blackwell, 1986. ISBN 978-0631148449

Goldman, Bob, Ronald Klatz, and Patricia J. Bush. Death in the Locker Room: Steroids and Sports. Tucson, AZ: The Body Press, 1984. ISBN 978-0895865977

I found many positive reports about S. nux-vomica's effects on the Internet:

In fact, I loved lsd as a stimulant so much that I probably wouldve continued using it if I hadn't found out that strychnine is also a stimulant, and its effects are extremely similar to a non-hallucinogenic dose of acid. And with strychnine, since I extract it myself, I know exactly what Im getting (as far as product and dosage is concerned), its infinitely cheaper, and I have constant/unlimited access due to not having to rely on dealers

...

Oh certainly...yeah, toxicity is definitely an issue, which is why it should only be used by people who are 100% positive in their abilities at extraction. I definitely wouldn't recommend it to the average joe. Although it is unfortunate it has to be that way, because in countries where strychnine doesn't have the stigma attached to it that it does here, nux-vomica preparations are still in use

Its interesting that you brought up the issue of cognitive enhancement, if you do a google search on strychnine and nootropic, you'll notice that this substance is also known for it's cognitive enhancing abilities as well.

Also, Strychnine (in the correct doses, of course) has had a wide variety of other health benefits attributed to it throughout history that lsd has not. I really do love them both, but strychnine has just become much more of a practical everyday substance for myself...it has infinite amounts of uses, shorter duration, a greater availability, and the knowledge that I know exactly what Im ingesting makes it more intriguing for me...particularly on the issue of extra energy and motivational boost.

...

Yep, not a problem at all! :) Yeah, the history of the chemical is really fascinating! It was even used as a performance enhancing substance at times...there's several famous instances of olympic athletes partaking in strychnine use.

As far as extracting it in a way that's not toxic the answer would objectively be yes...This is primarily because strychnine's toxicity (like all issues of toxicity) is essentially based upon the dosage used. Paracelsus is often described as the founder of toxicology, and he has a rather infamous statement that reads, "All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; only the dose permits something not to be poisonous." And that's pretty much exactly the case with strychnine. It can most definiely be extracted to small quantities where it is no longer toxic to ingest. And it was used historically in such a manner for quite a while. In fact, while there is no doubt that it is a powerdul substance....its toxicity level is quite the same as that of nicotine's (LD50 of 1–2 mg/kg in humans for strychnine, and an LD50 of 0.5–1.0 mg/kg for nicotine).

...

But yeah, herein lies the problem :D Some countries will still offer Nux-Vomica tinctures (Nux-vomica is the seed from which strychnine is extracted), lol but we're unfortunately not one of them. And this is the main safety issue with the substance...since there are no professional pharmaceutical grade tinctures of the substance, it forces those who might potentially be interested to consider doing an extraction themselves, which is HIGHLY dangerous.

Although all that is quite a shame. I've gotten proficient at the extraction and I really do find it to be somewhat of a wonder drug. Its my favorite stimulant (which is fascinating bc im not even really a huge fan of stimulants to begin with), it's my favorite nootropic, and it works wonders as far as the potentiation of psychedelics. But unfortunately, since this is a harm reduction site, I can't really say I recommend it bc the extraction process is definitely extremely dangerous...but I do hope that one day our society will develop a more open and objective view towards these substances, because if used in the correct manner and with the correct dosage they offer infinite amounts of potential.

Viṣakaṇṭha, Nov 23, 2013, Bluelight.org: post-11972780, post-11972895, and post-11973074

Strychnos nux vomica,

At the right dose sharpens the senses, visual and aural acuity, clarity of thought and speech, colours are brighter more ease to do complex mathematics. Does not fuck your appetite or circadian rythm. Counteracts many of the negative aspects of opium and opioid use for which it was widely prescribed for several centuries.

Stimulates appeptite and perastalisis. Clears the liver.

You all missed it, I think, but when you get tired of fucking around with the chicken feed weak stuff its time to meet the master blaster. Strychnine baby. THe strychnine man of the 1920s was the best dressed man in sleazy streets of Soho London. He was still functional when all the coke heads, where edgy and coming down, when the morphine crowd were in the gutter.

Seriously this plant extract if you know how to use it is a very healthy, noortopic stimulant. It does have a safe window of use and was used in western medicine for centuries. It still is widely used in the east. It is banned from olympic sports for good reason

The main reason it was banned from all but the cardiac ward of major western hospitals (where it still is a last resort) was it is such an efficient hard the trace killer when given in overdose.

Ze Baboon, Jul 26, 2009, https://drugs-forum.com/threads/herbs-that-are-energizing-stimulating.354918/page-2#post-638158

Strychnine is [my] favorite stimulant. [I use] 500 micrograms at most. Often just 100 micrograms is enough.

69Ron, Jan 31, 2010, https://drugs-forum.com/threads/nux-vomica-how-to-use.116031/#post-756959

Strychnine is one of the nicest stimulants there is. I was introduced to it many years ago, and liked it a lot, but then it disappeared. It’s now next to impossible to get. However, you can make an extract of nux vomica seeds which contain strychnine as their main active alkaloid. Nux vomica seeds are still available and apparently legal in most countries. A highly diluted tincture of nux vomica is a safe way to use it.

I have recently made a tincture of nux vomica containing approximately 243 micrograms of strychnine per ml. His favorite dose is 2 ml, which contains about 486 micrograms of strychnine. At that dose the effects are fantastic. It’s my favorite stimulant. I wish you could still buy nux vomica tinctures at the local herb store. As long as the dose of strychnine is 4 mg or lower, there are no toxic symptoms present. Since I use slightly less than 0.5 mg, he’s well within the safety limits.

All of what you hear about it’s stimulant effects are true. It makes you see clearer, hear better, increases your sence of smell, and even your sense of touch is enhanced. It’s almost like LSD in that way. It’s nootropic effects are also quite obvious. I can remember the details of things that happened on days he used nux vomica better than on days he didn’t use it. It really does improve memory and concentration.

It’s only downside is it’s narrow safe dose range. While doses of 0.05-4 mg are safe, a dose of 50 mg is likely to kill a person. Some people are very sensitive to its toxic effects, and for that reason, when it was commonly used in medicine many years ago, the highest safe dose was said to be 6.4 mg. There is one unverifiable death of someone who took only 5 mg (probably by injection in which its more toxic), but in general the average person would need 50 mg orally for it to be fatal. Considering you can get very decent stimulant and nootropic effects with doses as small as 0.5 mg (500 micrograms), as long as you don’t go higher, it’s relatively safe to use. With the typical fatal human adult dose being 50 mg, that's 100 times larger than an effective dose of 500 micrograms. If you need it stronger than 500 micrograms, you can simply take 500 micrograms of it with coffee. That’ll really perk you up. There's no need to take more than 500 micrograms and it would be unwise to take more than 2 mg.

69Ron, Sep 11, 2009, https://drugs-forum.com/threads/herbs-that-are-energizing-stimulating.354918/page-2#post-665366

ubeRAGEoUS, it's as nice as that post makes it sound. Honestly. No place sells it anymore so you can be sure people are not spreading sales talk, trying to make it sound nicer than it is. No one buys it. No one sells it. At least not where I live. It's still used in India and China and a few other places around there. It still pops up as a sports enhancing drug in those parts of the world.

Strychnine was once extremely popular as a stimulant. If it wasn't so easy to OD on it, it would still be popular. The downside is its potency. It's just way too potent. You can feel 100 micrograms of it. It's nearly as potent as LSD is. It also has effects that are mind expanding, much like LSD has, but it's not hallucinogenic at all. It makes you see clearer, hear better, improves your sense of touch, things smell stronger. Sex is better. It makes you more aware of things around you. It improves your memory and concentration. It doesn't have the edginess of caffeine. It's one of the best stimulants there is, but also the most toxic. That's the downside.

If there was a stimulant as nice as strychnine is that was not as toxic, it would be SUPER POPULAR. The problem with strychnine is that a good dose is 500 micrograms. A large dose is 3 milligrams. A deadly dose is about 30 mg or so. 10 times more than a large dose and it can be fatal. That's a MAJOR problem. When it was popular, too many people would OD on it. As little as 5 mg can cause unpleasant effects. It's just too dangerous for the average person to buy at the local store. Too many people like to overdo drugs and not follow the directions on the box. With strychnine, you cannot take it like it's caffeine. You have to be very careful about taking accurate doses or you'll be in for it.

I think if people capped it at 1 mg, and never took more than 1 mg, it would still be available. Too many people abuse these kinds of things thinking things like, "if 1 pill is good 10 should give me much more energy!", so they would take ten 3 mg pills, and then die shortly after (or just have painful convulsions if they were lucky).

69Ron, Jan 31, 2010, https://drugs-forum.com/threads/nux-vomica-how-to-use.116031/#post-757000

It is a rather excellent stimulant! 69ron's descriptions are pretty spot-on. It is an entactogen, sharpens the mind and senses, and is a superior aphrodisiac. It takes about 45 minutes to an hour for full effects to kick in, which then last for maybe three hours more. In the doses I've been taking there is almost no edginess at all, and I can go to sleep easily 4 hours after taking it. Small doses can be used to keep the effects going, I'll start out with around 30mg worth, top off with 10mg after 4 hours, 10mg more after another few hours. I've yet to exceed 50mg worth in a day.

...

I also suspect that Strychnine does somewhat lessen a hangover. Before combining it with alcohol I did some research and found an old study suggesting it may alleviate some of alcohol's toxic effects. The other day I took 35mg worth of tincture, drank a bottle of wine - with a large meal and over a few hours - then my wife and I went home, had some amazing sex, and I woke up about 5 hours later to go to work. Normally I would have been quite tired all day after that but the only ill effects I felt were dry mouth from the wine. I actually felt pretty fantastic all day!

I'm not trying to advocate that people start using this stuff, or start pounding liquor and expecting this stuff to ward off a hangover. The wine thing may have been a fluke, I did eat a big meal and drink plenty of water. This is something that should be approached with the utmost caution. But so far I've really been enjoying it, I've tried it probably 12-15 times. For those who have plenty of experience with extracts/tinctures and very good self-control this is an excellent drug. And talk about cheap! This stuff is pennies a dose, easily the cheapest drug I have ever paid for, cheaper than a cup of coffee by far. If you assume the seeds you get are the highest potency possible, start with very low doses and work up until you find the sweet spot, this can be a fantastic substance.

One last thing, I'm a runner and read long ago about Thomas Hicks winning the 1904 Olympic marathon by taking strychnine. Well, I couldn't resist...earlier today I was feeling pretty tired. I took 30mg worth of seed and ran about 5 miles. I kept getting the urge to stop - it's a warm, humid day and I usually run in the morning, today I did it at 4pm when it was good and hot. Normally I probably would have had to stop a couple times for 30 seconds or so but every time I got the urge, my feet seemed to keep on going. I am not a believer in performance enhancers because I've had a couple experiences over doing it with kratom + exercise, no serious injuries but definitely some strain I didn't need or benefit from. I don't think you should use substances to push your body further when you're training. But like I said, I couldn't resist giving this a try.

rawbeer, Apr 19, 2015, https://drugs-forum.com/threads/nux-vomica-how-to-use.116031/#post-1597356

It makes my vision seem amazingly clear, a sunny day is just breathtaking. 69ron's descriptions really hit the nail on the head, it is sort of like a very very minor, "nootropic" dose of LSD. Nothing psychedelic but with the sensory enhancement.

I won't get into source discussion but let's just say the big commercial growers are in India. You'll be waiting around forever thinking you got ripped off but wondering if trying to get a few bucks back from India is worth it. Slow, slow delivery seems common.

The more I get to know it the more I like it. At the right dose you barely notice it's a stimulant it's so smooth, but the effects are all there. And I've yet to experience any issues trying to sleep just a few hours later, nothing like a cup of coffee would do to me. It's become a favorite afternoon stimulant, like kratom is for me, for this reason.

Just be super fucking careful, and enjoy!

rawbeer, Apr 29, 2015, https://drugs-forum.com/threads/nux-vomica-how-to-use.116031/#post-1601575

(Warning: this is one of those cases I would recommend to ‘not try at home’. My goal here is to report an experience and spread information.)

I few years ago when I was in college, I decided to mess around with strychnine, which is undoubtedly the most risky substance I’ve ever purposefully ingested. I know this was foolish, but there is a very real nootropic/physical/sexual value to this compound.

First, I will describe my experiences, and second I will explain the rationale that led me to experiment with a known toxin..

I read about some old 20th century folk taking strychnine for athletic enhancement, aphrodisiac, and sensory enhancing properties. Naturally, as a biochem college student not afraid of strong drugs, I felt the pull of the desire to self experiment. After some initial cursory research (see below) I decided to try it.

Strychnine is found in Nux vomica.

You can get nux vomica seeds from a few Indian websites if you look around.

I first ground up some Nux Vomica seeds in a coffee grinder (these seeds are incredibly hard), and then weighed 100mg of powdered seed, which is roughly equivalent to 4mg of strychnine given that approximately 1.5-5% of the seed is alkaloid and 35-50% of the alkaloid content is strychnine. (**note LD50= 1-2mg/kg, so a gram of the seed would be bad news)

I got ready for a run, and then took the nux vomica.

My field of vision expanded noticeably. Every object seemed more sharply defined, with deeper shadow variations and color vividness. I also felt like I could zoom in on far off objects. This was like going from 360p to 720p.

I became acutely aware of the cooling tactile sensation of the wind in the humid air, and exactly where the sun was hitting me. Sounds also became ‘easier’ to process, I could swear I could hear the beating of a bird’s wings above me. Also, the smell of that pizzeria across the street was particularly noticeable. It felt slightly overwhelming, this enhanced influx, and soon my spinal stiffness began to kick in. This is not a drug for ameliorating anxieties.

I have dabbled with meditation before, and this whole experience reminded me of getting into that lovely sensory meditative pocket of deep self awareness where the world seems to slow down for you to drink it in.

I began to feel jumpy, and really needed to move. So I started my run. Flying through the streets and woods was a different experience. I moved easily and everything felt bright and alive. I beat my old records and ran a mile in under 6 mins. It was a bit of an overload. As I went on I felt slightly cramped and stiff. So I headed back to my dorm, drank some kava (the recommended antidote if diazepams are not available) , and proceeded to pump out 10 pages of thesis work because if I wasn’t moving, my mind was racing, speed reading became a breeze..maybe just from the new sensory experience. I then called the girl next door to come over, and proceeded to have some amazing sex. I was much harder than usual and much more sensitive to touch, could definitely see where the aphrodisiac rumors comes from. Only problem was my whole body was somewhat stiff.

I sampled strychnine dozens of more times with no issues, and it became a member of my noots stack (taken at smaller doses (~1mg). However, I did have a negative experience when I accidently took about 200mg of seed powder. After taking the powder I headed off to the lab to go to work, and I started to feel very anxious as I walked over. In the lab I broke out in cold sweats, started shaking uncontrollably, and ran to the bathroom to vomit. I went home and drank some kava, and proceeded to calm down. That was a bit much and haven't felt the need to try again it since.

Strychnine: my experiences. Aug 6, 2015. https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/3g061a/strychnine_my_experiences/

I've done strychnine before myself. I wouldn't say I particularly enjoyed it.

It did give me heightened senses, colors really popped out visually and I felt like I had a much more intuitive sense of spacial awareness. Maybe useful if you're trying to learn how to juggle or something. I can see why olympians used to dope with it, it definitely seems like it improves coordination.

I wouldn't really go out of my way to recommend the stuff, I ended up tossing the Nux Vomica seeds I had stashed. It just made me feel really edgy and like my heart was racing. A little too much anxiety for me.

It smells like some kind of exotic coffee, which was kind of funny to me.

Sure people historically also have used it as a poison to commit murder and whatnot, but that is at much larger doses. Many drugs that are ok at therapeutic dosages are very dangerous at overdoses.

i_am_hathor, Aug 7, 2015, https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/3g061a/strychnine_my_experiences/ctukqts/

Interestingly though, smoking powdered nux-vomica seeds is not very effective according to a test I ran a few years ago. It seems as though strychnine is decomposed in pyrolysis to some extent.

Powerful Medicine, Jan 29, 2015, https://drugs-forum.com/threads/nux-vomica-how-to-use.116031/#post-1564897

UPDATE: (1 YEAR LATER) This paragraph was inserted by one who has experienced STRYCHNINE INGESTION first hand and donated the previous sentence almost a year ago. My ingestion of 1/8 teaspoon of the chemical (approximately 50 years old, and coloured purple), orally with water brought on severe muscle contractions, coming in waves, within 5 to 10 minutes. At this stage, i called the "medical emergency" no. and was advised to admit to hospital. I drove 7km to the hospital in a state of extreme alertness, with no pain but increasing rigidity/agitation and anxiety. I alighted from the vehicle, and my body, after about 20 minutes had elapsed since ingestion, was almost totally rigid. My legs and arms would not bend,and to i imagine my gait to be that of a robot as i made my way into the hospital. As i lay there for the next 5 hours, suffering these great muscle seizures, the nurses complained of a terrible decomposition smell emenating from my body. The hospital staff administered charcoal and advised me that respiratory collapse could be immenent. VALIUM was given intravenously, at intervals, which almost immediately stopped the contractions. The after affects of the chemical seem to be continued wasting if the major muscles, as experienced in long distance runners who push themselves overly, whilst dehydrated. Regards Brendan.

This was posted in the article. It is original research. JFW | T@lk 08:19, 20 December 2005 (UTC)[reply]

THe last link after the article "fact sheet on strychnine" is dead. Could someone update this? — Preceding unsigned comment added by JM Zen (talk • contribs) 20:37, 15 March 2006 (UTC)[reply]

^^^^ ^------ - lol - "Dead.". Isn't that what you would expect??? lolz (sorry, I absolutely couldn't resist.). 154.5.111.79 (talk) 05:26, 2 June 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I don't understand how this helped him run faster. Only negative aspects are covered in the article. Could someone in the know elaborate on this. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.69.198.47 (talk) 14:10, 28 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Muscles are capable of exerting much more force than the brain normally allows them to, probably as a protective mechanism against damage to muscles and tendons. Greater than normal force is seen when people "jump" a long way as a result of electric shock, and presumably strychnine poisoning can have a similar effect. I do not know much about this and am just speculating, but maybe a low dose caused very mild spasms which allowed his muscles to do something like this? The whisky might have prevented more serious uncontrollable spasms, as according to the article, depressants are one method of treating strychnine poisoning. (I do not recommend that anyone tries this). 82.5.167.145 16:56, 6 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Totally agree the doping aspects of this entry are crapola. The entire discussion here and in referenced articles is ambiguous. Largely everywhere I just poked on The Internet for 20 minutes is "Thomas Hicks Thomas Hicks Thomas Hicks Thomas Hicks Thomas Hicks Thomas Hicks Thomas Hicks Thomas Hicks ...oh and that one time at band camp..." Circuitous references to places rife with nebulous and tenuous BS like Gizmodo. Seriously the editorial constraints of Wikipedia or satisfied by flippin' Gizmodo? Yikes. 71.226.126.80 (talk) 15:54, 30 December 2024 (UTC)[reply]

This line is ambigious: "This was Wu Dan and she was actually the first person to test positive for drugs at the Olympics." I'm sure they meant at the Barcelona Olympics, rather than "at the Olympics". If not, please indicate why this was the first, since Ben Johnson preceeds this, and was not the first even then. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.195.131.236 (talk) 16:33, 5 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

While strychnine kills dogs, it kills plenty of other creatures too. Why is this in category Dogs but not in category Poisons?? Knowledge of strychnine isn't required to own a dog-- it just helps to know that it's poisonous to them. Next thing you know, aspirin is going to be under the cats category. 82.93.133.130 09:00, 29 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed. --Eyrian 09:16, 29 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

While I agree that this article needs to be in the category of poisons, I'm not sure that it is inappropriate to have it in the category of dog health. Dogs are the most common domestic animal to be poisoned by strychnine, and therefore it is somewhat related to the topic of dog health. However, it seems unlikely that anyone would search for it there, so I won't put it back in. --Joelmills 03:08, 30 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't disagree with the role in dog health, but I figure there's either a Dog Health page with links to here, or a reader concerned that their dog has been poinsoned by strychnine would come directly here. I certainly don't advocate taking out the dog health info that's within the article-- we've added dog and cat health to the aspirin page too. My beef was only with the categories on the page bottom... not sure about Wikidogs tag either, but it's harmless. 82.93.133.130 14:24, 1 December 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Please note error in text.

Dantrolene although it does have muscle relaxant properties, is not classified in pharmacology as a muscle relaxant, and is certainly NOT a specific antidote. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 60.226.39.33 (talk) 23:21, 6 April 2007 (UTC).[reply]

Be bold and change it yourself - this is a wiki...  :-) If somehow possible, please provide reliable referencesfor your edits. Cacycle 02:05, 7 April 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Could someone help provide a scientific explanation? cyclosarin 03:40, 8 May 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I am not going to start a revert war regarding the Trivia tag, but I think it is inappropriate in this article. Few Wikipedia editors are skilled enough to integrate those bits of information into the main text in a sensible way. If you think it should be done, go ahead and do it, but it is not a good idea to ask any passer by to integrate it, as not everyone has the ability to express it in a structured and readable way that does not distort the flow of the main article. Mlewan 17:24, 24 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Few people are skilled enough to integrate bullet points into prose? I hope not. It seems to me to be a matter of working up the necessary effort, which a small annoyance tends to do. And it doesn't disrupt the flow of the article any more than a bulleted series of unrelated points does. --Eyrian 19:14, 24 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I went ahead and took care of it. It did take some effort, but that was to supply the missing references. --Joelmills 19:59, 24 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Excellent work. --Eyrian 23:39, 24 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Excuse me for saying so, but that was an awful edit. If I come here to read about Strychnine, I want the main text to be about the poison and not garage rock bands. The main text got clumsy, unstructured and filled up with irrelevant data for the poison itself. Besides it suddenly got virtually impossible to search for cases where strychnine has been used, if that is what I am looking for. Mlewan 05:05, 25 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You're more than welcome to put it back the way it was, if you like. On second thought, I'll do it for you, and you can construct it to your preferences. --Joelmills 01:55, 26 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. I just added back the references you had researched before. It would be a pity to lose them. Mlewan 04:00, 26 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I don't remember well but I thought strychnine used to be used in some recipes for making heroin, in the first half (??) of the 20th century. IIRC I read this in the book "Heroin Century", which was published within the last decade. Peoplesunionpro (talk) 06:24, 26 December 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Strychnine is still used in drugs, i.e. cardiamid coffein manufactured in Poland by Polfa Pabianice. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.63.139.179 (talk) 06:08, 23 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Confirmed: a tonic containing nicotinamide, caffeine and strychnine.[1] Gordonofcartoon (talk) 11:46, 23 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

It actually contains nikethamide, not nicotinamide. Regards, --83.24.5.202 (talk) 21:06, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Thx - not knowing Polish, I misread "niketamid" to be "nicotinamide". Gordonofcartoon (talk) 22:22, 25 August 2008 (UTC)[reply]

There is an group of holiness pentecostal churches in appalachia that use strychnine as part of their worship service. They interpret Mark 16:18 literally when it says, "when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all." —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.142.130.12 (talk) 19:57, 18 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Verified: [2]. Gordonofcartoon (talk) 20:49, 18 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Any views on the recent splitting of Strychnine and Strychnine poisoning? I'd have thought the poisoning and pharamcology are intimately connected. Gordonofcartoon (talk) 22:17, 1 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The dose of LSD is so small that it could not be mixed with a toxic amount of strychnine, even if strychnine made up an entire blotter square.^[1]

While the argument makes sense, I notice the citation comes from a newsgroup posting. Gordonofcartoon (talk) 03:38, 9 June 2008 (UTC)[reply]

The article cites a paper describing Strychnine as a structural analogue to caffeine, and I do not believe this to be the case. Caffeine is achiral, planar, aromatic and a weak base with a molecular mass of about 194. Strychnine is chiral, three dimensional with complex structure, contains only a small aromatic fragment and as a tertiary amine is likely strongly lewis basic. At the functional group level, only the amide is shared. Molecules which share binding sites in proteins are often structural analogues, but this is not necessarily the case. The paper in question discusses a biological computational binding study and does not represent a valid reference for structural similarity. The similarity in function is quite probably linked to shared binding modes, but not to structure. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.194.90.75 (talk) 18:51, 13 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree and have removed the statement. -- Ed (Edgar181) 19:30, 13 October 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I recently read a 1921 biography of a man who as a civil war soldier had sustained a gunshot wound near his spine. This veteran had, in 1862, taken "a preparation containing strychnia and thereupon began to recover the use of his limbs" and was soon able to return to the front lines. [Albion W. Tourgee by Roy F. Dibble, available in Google Books] Although this article states that a "1934 drug guide for nurses described [strychnine] as "among the most valuable and widely prescribed drugs", the only listed uses are "as a stimulant, as a laxative, and as a treatment for other stomach ailments". Is the cure described in the book apocryphal, or does it fall under the category of stimulant? Or is there some other therapeutic effect of strychnine that should be described here? 24.128.188.152 (talk) 21:08, 9 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The human ld50 quoted in the first paragraph of 1mg/kg is a lot smaller than the table lower in the article (100-120mg/kg orally). Both are cited. Which is correct? - 92.238.100.56 (talk) 13:50, 12 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It appears that the initial statement of 1mg/kg is correct and that the table is wrong. The heading on the table reads LD (mg/kg) but should only read LD as the LD is 1mg/kg. Therefore for a typical male adult the LD orally would be 100mg (1mg/kg in a 100kg/220lbs male) 74.77.141.145 (talk) 04:24, 28 July 2011 (UTC)Steve[reply]

I doubt the term "LD50" will be applicable in any of the human cases as most of the data come from accidental exposures and not clinical studies on humans... (Though I havn't read all of the references so I can't be sure, the Nazis did some crazy things so you never know...) — Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.175.244.252 (talk) 08:58, 26 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

The style and tone is not suited for an encyclopaedia, and the explanation for its mechanism of action is clumsy and confusing (I study pharmacy and I barely made it through; someone with no background wouldn't understand at all). I would do it except I'm in the middle of exams right now. Camus42 (talk) 05:03, 13 June 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just wanted to clear up that when the article describes the treatment for Strychnine poisoning it states that activated charcoal should be administered to absorb any remanding strychnine this is false. Activated charcoal does not absorb anything it adsorbs molecules. This action is completely different and does not actually render the strychnine molecule inert until it is eliminated from the body. 74.77.141.145 (talk) 04:28, 28 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OK, I changed "absorb" to "adsorb", with a link to our relevant article at adsorption. -- Ed (Edgar181) 11:28, 28 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

"The toxic and medicinal effects of strychnine have been well known from the times of ancient China and India." but "Strychnine was first discovered by French chemists Joseph Bienaimé Caventou and Pierre-Joseph Pelletier in 1818."

These can't both be true. Geoffrey.landis (talk) 18:45, 27 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

I think the first sentence should be tweaked to read, "The toxic and medicinal effects of Strychnos nux-vomica have been well known from the times of ancient China and India" to clarify that the properties of the plant (which derive almost entirely from the presence of strychine) have been known since antiquity, but the chemical compound itself was not identified/characterized until the 19th century. -- Ed (Edgar181) 18:54, 27 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

OK, that makes sense; I made the changes you suggest. Geoffrey.landis (talk) 20:50, 29 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The intro states that strychnine is "colorless", but according to Mosby's Medical Dictionary (eighth edition) strychnine is a "white crystalline alkaloid". Is Mosby's wrong, Wikipedia wrong, or have I misunderstood (is white not considered a colour?)? Jinjibïar (talk) 00:12, 1 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Calling a compound "white" corresponds to a powder, whereas the term "colourless" corresponds to the solution of the purified compound or the appearance of large crystals or small crystals (powder) under a microscope. Calling a compound "colourless" is generally considered to be the more scientific way of describing a "white" compound, because white is not a colour in the spectroscopic sense.92.206.89.147 (talk)

It has a potently bitter substance, and in humans has been shown to activate bitter taste receptors TAS2R10 and TAS2R46.^[1]

— Preceding unsigned comment added by Leprof 7272 (talk • contribs) 07:38, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

...and whether it needs a new section, or its inclusion needs to be reconsidered long-term, it is placed here for convenience until decisions can be made. Note, the text appears to be cribbed in large part from the indicated bare-URL (i.e., apparently plagiarised, as it appeared here without quotation marks, and so is a potential COPYVIO issue), and at that URL, the two citations given are to a further bare-URL (paragraph 1), and then to a primary source (paragraph 2). In short, this is an interesting story, though sunstantially immaterial to the title subject (car ride portion), and a possible copyright violation, and minimally needing to have the quoted text specified, but generally not well-enough referenced to stand as it is. Even if it is reinforced, careful thought should be give to its location. (It is not about mechanism of action, and so was misplaced in that section.)

In low dosages, strychnine can act as a stimulant and has been used by athletes to enhance their performance. Strychnine made headlines back in 1904 during the St. Louis Olympics. At that time there were no rules yet about the use of performance enhancing drugs. The American Fred Lorz won the marathon competition but was disqualified just after crossing the finish line because officials learned he had taken a car ride for part of the race. The next man to finish was the British-born US athlete Thomas Hicks. He won the gold medal but not without a little help. About 10 miles from the finish line Hicks begged his trainers to let him stop running and give-up the race. His trainers refused and gave him a dose of strychnine as a stimulant to keep him going. They also gave him raw egg-white and brandy. As a result Hicks had to be carried across the finish line and it took four doctors to revive him so that he could leave the stadium. More recently at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, strychnine was used to optimize the athletic performance of Wu Dan, a female volleyball player from China. Dan was the first person to test positive for drugs at the Olympics, testing positive for strychnine despite claiming that she had not ingested any. The strychnine was contained in capsules that Dan was taking without the knowledge of the team doctor. She took the capsule as a tonic because she was feeling a bit tired. The Olympic committee stated that Dan didn’t intentionally cheat.^{[1][better source needed][bare URL]}

Le Prof Leprof 7272 (talk) 07:56, 5 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The article Chiral_resolution#Chiral_resolving_agents mentions the related compound Brucine as an example agent, but I believe that Strychnine is also commonly used. What is needed is a cheap and plentiful pure sterioisomer, and one which can be easily coupled to and later removed from the enantiomer pair being resolved. Is it worth mentioning? I guess a reference to a method would be useful. --AJim (talk) 01:55, 1 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

If you have a couple references then it can surely be mentioned.--cyclopia^speak! 11:55, 1 October 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This article completely fails to mention that strychnine was a popular performance enhancer/stimulant in the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century. There was a famous case of an olympic runner who died after overdosing, using strychnine as a performance enhancer. Also, in HG Wells' THE INVISIBLE MAN, the anti-hero uses strychnine as a stimulant. 2604:2000:C6A1:B900:DD98:9A71:7701:4800 (talk) 02:28, 27 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]

UPDATE: I have added a section on the performance-enhancing properties of strychnine. 2604:2000:C6A1:B900:DD98:9A71:7701:4800 (talk) 02:42, 27 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Anyway, charcoal is a recommended remedy in strychnine poisoning, given that there is on specific antidote. (on should be no) 2600:8800:5DA3:3F00:252F:BD4B:DBE1:468C (talk) 21:34, 30 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]