Curare

Lecture XVIII — Spigelia anthelmintica, Curare and the Juglandaceae

Curare.

Curare or Woorari, the famous arrow poison of South America, is derived from the bark of the Strychnos toxifera. The commercial preparation is a brownish-black paste of variable composition, the most active ingredient being the alkaloid Cttrarine, Curare acts on the periphery of the motor nerves, producing paralysis of motion without any disturbance of sensation. When taken internally it causes violent symptoms, sudden vertigo associated with great weakness of the legs. Sooner or later this is followed by vomiting of bile. Some time ago I treated a man with cirrhotic liver. Every morning, at ten or eleven o'clock, he had an attack of bilious vomiting, followed by a chill. The vomiting continued for three or four weeks, and nothing seemed to stop it. But as he had the dizzy feeling just mentioned, I finally gave him Curare 500th, and it stopped the vomiting very promptly. The man lived two or three months after that.

Dr. Pitet, of Paris, recommends Curare for the dyspnoea of emphysema when the patient seems to be pretty far gone. He administers the drug in the 3d or 6th potency.

Closely allied to Nux vomica are certain remedies derived from the order — JUGIyANDACE^S.

All the Juglandaceae seem to produce a condition of the blood in which that fluid becomes dark and pitch-like in color. They all cause haemorrhages.