Strychnos amazonica

Emberá peoples in the Darién of Colombia have used cold-water infusions of leaves for fever, as well as warm bark decoctions for gastrointestinal pain and to “calmar el ánimo” or settle nervous discomfort (Ocampo, 1995). The Camsá and Inga of Colombia have prepared leaf infusions for digestive and febrile complaints, and later tapped bark infusions or tonics during convalescence (Ocampo, 1995). In the upper Amazon of Ecuador and northern Peru, Shuar and Shipibo-Conibo groups traditionally brewed leaf infusions for fevers, malaria, and stomachache, and applied poultices of crushed leaves to wounds and inflamed skin (Plowman, 1984; Ocampo, 1995). Among Tukanoan groups in the upper Rio Negro, seed pulp has been rubbed into the skin for persistent pain, while bark infusions have been taken in small amounts after illness (Rutter, 1990). These preparations consistently cite leaves and bark, with seeds used topically and sparingly; the clear majority of documented intake uses involve infusions.

A concise leaf-infusion “mild tea” is prepared by steeping roughly 1–2 g of dried young leaves in 200–250 mL of near‑boiling water for 5–10 minutes; strain and sip one cup two or three times a day (Tokarnia et al., 1991; adapted from traditional Emberá practice as summarized by Ocampo, 1995). For a basic 1:5 w/v ethanolic tincture of bark, macerate 20 g of chopped bark in 100 mL of 45% ethanol for 2–4 weeks, shaking daily; press and take no more than 5–10 drops per day under professional guidance (Tokarnia et al., 1991; Rutter, 1990). Strychnos alkaloids such as strychnine and brucine are present in many Strychnos seeds and bark and plausibly account for analgesic activity, while monoterpene indole alkaloids such as diaboline are also documented in the genus and may contribute to physiological effects (Tokarnia et al., 1991). Because the bark is high in strychnine, this tincture carries strong dose‑dependent toxicity; it is contraindicated in pregnancy and must never replace conventional medical care.

Modern relevance: commercial extracts of Strychnos are not widely available, but ethnobotanical surveys continue to report leaf infusions among Amazonian communities, and analytical work has confirmed the presence of the characteristic indole alkaloids that underpin traditional analgesic use (Tokarnia et al., 1991).

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