Strychninum Nitricum

A salt of strychnine, the bitter alkaloid of nux vomica seeds, traditionally used in homoeopathy in remedies for the craving for alcohol.

Strychninum nitricum is strychnine nitrate, a salt of strychnine, the intensely bitter alkaloid found in the seeds of the nux vomica tree of India and South-east Asia. In tiny amounts strychnine was once given as a tonic. It is extremely poisonous; homoeopathy uses it only in specially prepared form.

Strychnine itself is associated in homoeopathy with stiffness, twitching and nerves oversensitive to noise and touch. The nitrate salt has a narrower tradition: the classic materia medica records that it was said to lessen the craving for alcohol, and it appears in remedies for people giving up drink.

• Craving for alcohol
• Giving up drink
• Nervous twitching
• Oversensitive nerves