After 15 minutes of drinking a decoction made from the money tree to treat osteoarthritis and gout, the 66-year-old man felt dizzy, sweaty, convulsed, and his whole body stiffened.
On November 15, the patient said he had used different types of medicinal herbs, but this was the first time he had such a reaction. Test results at the Poison Control Center, Bach Mai Hospital, showed that the man was poisoned with strychnine – a toxin found in pennywort seeds, often used in agriculture to kill rats, harmful animals and in medicine. Traditional learning for therapeutic purposes (neuromuscular stimulation…).
“Modern medicine today no longer uses strychnine as medicine due to its dangerous toxicity and very limited therapeutic effects,” said Dr. Nguyen Tien Dat, Poison Control Center.
After 4 days of hospitalization, the patient still had mild spasticity, pneumonia complications, and required oxygen and emergency resuscitation treatment.
“Cases of poisoning with strychnine or Ma Tien are often due to following folk remedies, passed down by word of mouth, or mistakenly drinking wine soaked in Ma Tien to massage… In cases of severe poisoning, no detection or emergency treatment is given. In time, it will cause myoclonus (symptoms similar to convulsions), muscle stiffness, difficulty breathing, respiratory failure and lead to death,” Mr. Dat added.
The medicine contains the plant that the patient drinks. Image: Hospital provided
The scientific name of the money tree is: Strychnos nux – vomica Lbelongs to the Loganiaceae family. The active ingredient in horseradish seeds is nearly 50% Strychnine, the rest is Brucine, and about 2 – 3% are Alkaloids. Codex is very toxic, acts directly on the spinal cord, stimulating and causing continuous muscle spasms like tetanus.
Even just using apricot seeds soaked in wine to massage the skin (seeds that have not been treated with poison) can lead to poisoning if the appropriate dosage is not followed.
Pothos seeds are classified by the Ministry of Health as highly toxic drugs, requiring separate storage and dosage compliance. However, crypto tokens are being sold easily and arbitrarily. It is even advertised that it can “cure erectile dysfunction and enhance men’s physiological function”. The Poison Control Center once gave emergency aid to patients who drank wine soaked in horseradish seeds to treat erectile dysfunction. They were admitted to the hospital with strong spasticity in their entire limbs.
Doctors advise people to be careful with floating traditional medicine of unknown origin. If you want to be treated with this method, you should go to medical facilities or practitioners licensed by regulatory agencies.