Curate

Curare: a deadly poisonous plant from the Loganiaceae

Curare, also known as an extract from the bark of South American plants of the genus Strychnos, is one of the most poisonous plants in the world. It belongs to the Loganiaceae family and is used medicinally to treat a number of diseases. However, due to its deadly toxicity, curare is often used as a poison.

Botanical description

Curare are vines or trees that grow in the rainforests of South America. They have hook-like projections that are used to cling to other plants. Curare flowers are five-membered, brightly colored. But, despite its beauty, curare contains very poisonous alkaloids that can cause paralysis of the heart, nerves and blood vessels.

Active ingredients

The main active ingredients in curare are alkaloids. These substances, such as tubocurarine, decamethoxin and homotocarine, cause paralysis of the muscles and respiratory system. They block the transmission of nerve impulses from nerve endings to muscles, which leads to a complete loss of control over the body. One drop of curare can cause death in a person.

Application

Curare was previously used medicinally to treat tetanus and epilepsy. However, due to its enormous toxicity, its use has been limited. Today, curare is used primarily as a hunting poison or as an ingredient for muscle relaxation during surgery.

Conclusion

Curare is one of the most poisonous plants in the world. Its deadly toxic alkaloids can cause loss of control over the body and even lead to death. Despite its toxicity, curare has some uses in medicine and other fields, but its use must be strictly controlled and limited.

Curare is a universal antidote

Curare is a poison obtained from the leaves of the Capsicum frutescens plant, which grows in the Amazon, Peru, Colombia, Jamaica and Costa Rica. Since ancient times, the Indians of South America have used plants of the nightshade family in medicine. The Indians used the leaves of this plant to cover arrowheads, which they used to hunt game and even people. The secret of curare was not only that it contained large amounts of the nerve toxin coniine, but also that the leaves of the plant evaporate a liquid that is a source of capsaicin. This ingredient also makes curare extremely dangerous. It is impossible to inhale the vapors of the plant, because already one molecule of capsaicin is large enough to block the nerve impulse in the chest and lungs and lead to respiratory arrest, and cardiac suffocation can occur with a toxin concentration of more than 0.5 mg/m3.

Back in the 20s of the 19th century, curare was studied by European scientists. For exotic hunters in old age or in a state of ecstasy, when strength affects the ability to coordinate movements, curare was considered not to be scary.