Strychnos

Strychnos is a genus of flowering plants, belonging to family Loganiaceae (sometimes Strychnaceae). The genus includes about 190 species of trees and lianas, distributed around the world's tropics.

• The Strychnine tree, Strychnos nux-vomica, native to tropical Asia, is the source of the poison strychnine and the homeopathic remedies, nux vomica (from the seed) and Brucea antidysenterica (from the bark).

• Strychnos ignatia ("St. Ignatius bean"), is a closely related Asian shrub/tree, and the source of the homeopathic remedies, Ignatia amara (from the seed) and "Upas tieuté" (Strychnos tieute) (from the bark).

• The species Strychnos toxifera is one of the 2 plant sources of the poison curare.

• Another notable species is Strychnos spinosa (Lam.), commonly known as the Natal orange.

• The ripe seeds of Strychnos potatorum,[1][2], known as Therran or Nirmal,[3] can be ground and used as a coagulant to purify water; or they may be rubbed against the inside walls of the earthenware water containers.