11 - methoxy strychnine,12-hydroxy strychnine-N- oxide 12-hydroxy- 11 - methoxy strychnine-
N-oxide-19,20–dihydro isostrychnine, 16α, 17β dihydro- 17 α-hydroxy isostrychnine, O-
methyl-macusine B, 16-epi-o-methyl–macusine B and normelinone B (Baser and Bisset,
1982).
De and Datta (1988) isolated 5 tertiary indole alkaloids viz. strychnine,
brucine, vomicine, icajine and novacine from S.nux-vomica flowers. Bisset et al (1989)
isolated and identified two phenolic glycosides salidroside and cuchiloside – a compound
consisting of salidroside and an attached xylose unit, from the fruit of S.nux-vomica.
Rodriguez et al (1979) isolated an indole alkaloid from the seeds of S. nux-
vomica and identified as a 3-methoxy icajine. A new alkaloid 15-hydroxy strychnine has
been isolated from the seeds and the structure of the alkaloid established by spectroscopic
data (Galeffi et al, 1979). Cai et al (1990a) isolated 4 new alkaloids isobrucine, isobrucine
N-oxide, isostrychnine N-oxide and 2 hydroxy– 3 - methoxy strychnine from the heat treated
seeds of S. nuxvomica and the structure of the alkaloids were determined by 13 CNMR (Cai
et al, 1994). Cai et al (1990 b) studied the changes in the alkaloid composition of the seeds
during drug processing. Saily et al (1994) determined the mineral elements in Strychnos
nux-vomica. Corsaro et al (1995) reported polysaccharides from the seeds of Strychnos
species.
Seeger and Neumann (1986) reviewed the physico-chemical characteristics,
occurrence, identification, utilisation, poisoning, toxicity, kinetics, differential diagnosis and
therapeutic uses of strychnine and brucine. Aspergillus niger, A. flavus and Pencillium
citrinum showed regular association with Strychnos seeds and effectively deteriorated the
alkaloid content of the seeds (Dutta, 1988; Dutta and Roy, 1992). Nicholson (1993)
described the history, structure and synthesis of strychnine which occur in the seeds of S.
nux-vomica. Rawal and Michoud (1991) developed a general solution for the synthesis of 2-
azabicyclo (3.3.1) nonane substructure of Strychnos alkaloids.
Villar et al (1984) and Hayakawa et al (1984) developed HPLC method for the
analysis of strychnine and brucine. Graf and Wittliner (1985), Kostennikova (1986) and
Gaitonde and Joshi (1986) suggested different methods for the assay of strychnine and
brucine. Biala et al, (1996) developed new method for the assay of alkaloids in S. nux-
vomica.
The seeds are bitter, acrid, alexeteric, aphrodisiac, appetiser, antiperiodic,
anthelmintic, digestive, febrifuge, emmenagogue, purgative, spinal, respiratory and cardiac
stimulant and stomachic. The bark is bitter, and tonic and febrifuge (Nadkarni, 1954; Kurup
et al, 1979; Warrier et al, 1996).
The quarternery alkaloid from the root bark of the Sri Lankan plant exhibited
muscle-relaxant activity (Baser and Bisset, 1982). Antimicrobial activity of indole alkaloid
isolated from the Strychnos nux-vomica was studied by Verpoorte et al, 1983. Shukla et al
(1985) evaluated the efficacy of Rasnadigugglu compound consisting of S. nux-vomica, on
rheumatoid arthritis and found to be effective in reducing inflammatory oedoma and
rheumatoid arthritis. It also exhibited analgesic activity. A compound Unani formulation
containing S. nux-vomica significantly attenuated withdrawal intensity in morphine
dependent rats (Zatar et al, 1991). Shahana et al (1994) studied the effect of Unani drug
combination (UDC) having Strychnos nux-vomica on the abstinence syndrome in moderately
and severely morphine dependent rats. The UDC strikingly suppressed the abstinence
syndrome was seen to possess central depressant and analgesic action.
Melone et al (1992) reported brucine-lethality in mice. Panda and Panda (1993)
and Satyanarayanan et al (1994) reported antigastric ulcer activity of nux vomica in Shay
rats. Banerjee and Pal (1994) reported the medicinal plants used by the tribals of plain land
in India for hair and scalp preparation and S. nux-vomica being used to cure alopecia
(baldness) by the tribals. Tripathi and Chaurasia (1996) studied the effect of S. nux-vomica
alcohol extract on lipid peroxidation in rat liver.