What Are The Dangers Of Nux Vomica?

Herbalists and practitioners of traditional Chinese and Indian medicine use nux vomica, known scientifically as Strychnos nux-vomica, to treat a wide array of health conditions ranging from migraine headaches to cancer. The reputed medicinal properties of the herb, extracted from the seeds or bark of an evergreen tree native to Southeast Asia, have not yet been definitively proved in clinical testing. However, nux vomica contains small amounts of strychnine, a potent poison that can cause serious adverse effects. Check with your health care provider first if you are considering using nux vomica.

A Little Poison

The concept that a little bit of a bad thing can sometimes have healing effects is a fundamental tenet of homeopathic medicine, which uses tiny amounts of potentially dangerous substances to effect cures. The notion has its counterpart in mainstream medicine's use of vaccines, made up of weakened bacterial or viral strains, to help the body develop a resistance to full-strength bacteria and viruses. In and of itself, nux vomica's strychnine content is not necessarily a bad thing, but it does raise some concerns about how much of the strychnine ends up in an herbal remedy derived from nux vomica. A profile of the herb in the "Natural Standard Herb & Supplement Guide" indicates that while there is "no proven safe or effective dose," traditional daily use ranges between 0.3 and 0.9 g in powder or pill form.

Neurological Effects

In its review of claims that nux vomica can help to cure cancer, the American Cancer Society not only dismisses such claims as groundless but warns that as little as 5 mg of strychnine, the amount found in one nux vomica seed, can cause serious neurological damage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that strychnine's neurological effects may begin within 15 to 60 minutes after a low or moderate dose of the substance is ingested. Such symptoms may include restlessness, agitation, fear, apprehension, rigidity in the arms and legs, tightness in the jaw, muscle pain and soreness, involuntary and uncontrollable arching of the neck and back, and painful muscle spasms.

Respiratory Failure, Death

High doses of strychnine, which is a component of nux vomica, can cause respiratory failure and brain death, according to the CDC. Symptoms usually manifest within 15 to 30 minutes after ingestion of the substance. Respiratory failure may begin with difficulty in breathing and quickly progress to a total inability to breathe, quickly followed by death unless emergency medical intervention occurs. Strychnine also can cause brain death, according to the CDC. Long-term effects of strychnine poisoning may include kidney failure or cognitive dysfunction caused by a temporary loss of oxygen supply to the brain.