STRYCHNOS NUX-VOMICA

FAMILY :: LOGANIACEAE
STRYCHNINE: A large tropical tree whose large, round, flat, silver seeds are the source of a very strong medicinal poison. When used in very small doses, strychnine is a stimulant and aphrodisiac. Used in moderate doses it is a psychedelic and when used in larger doses, it is a deadly poison.

An early symptom of strychnine poisoning is a rigid smile that is almost impossible to remove. Strychnine (commonly sold as a rat poison) was occasionally sold to the unwary in place of LSD during the time of hippies. It was rarely mixed with LSD, but was a substitute with vaguely similar effects. There is no truth to the widely held belief that the ‘hairs’ in the peyote cacti contain strychnine.