Strychnos nux-vomica

Strychnos nux-vomica is a deciduous tree belonging to the family Loganiaceae. It is a medium-sized tree with a dense crown and opposite shining green leaves with prominent nerves from the base. Fruits are hard coated and of orange yellow or red in colour having disc shaped large grey seeds. Even though it is extremely poisonous, it is medicinally important plant. It is a rich source of the alkaloid ‘strychnine’. The seeds are used for the treatment of fever, loss of digestive power, neurological problems, skin problems, cholera. Two species of Strychnos are found in our Ahalia campus. As the species is related to Aswathy Nakshtram and in our theme garden it’s a constituent. S. potatorum has smaller fruits turning black and used in water purification traditionally.