Botanical Name :- Strychnos nux-vomica L., Family :– Fabaceae.

Synonyms:- Strychnos nux-vomica var. grandifolia Dop., Strychnos nux-vomica var. oligosperma Dop.

Regional Name :- English : Poison-nut tree, Nux vomica, Hindi : Kuchala, Kuchila, Bish tendu, Sanskrit : Karaskara, Visatindu, Kakatinduka, Urdu : Azaraqi, Kuchla, Punjabi : Kuchla, Assamese : Ajraki, Habbul gurab, Kucila, Bengali : Kuchila, Gujrati : Konchala, Jher Kochla, Kuchla, Zer Kochalu, Kannada : Kanjihemushti, Manjira, Hemmushti, Ittongi, Kasarkayi, Malayalam : Kajjl, Kanniram, Marathi : Kajra, Kuchla, Tamil : Yettimaram, Kakotee, Ettikottai, Ettikkai, Telugu : Mushti, Mushini.

Part Used :- Seeds.

Description :- It is a deciduous medium-sized tree up to 9 to 15 m. height. It is found throughout tropical parts of the country up to 360 m altitude in the moist deciduous forest and southeast Asia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Northern Australia. Seeds are poisonous and can produce ill effects, greenish-grey to grey colour, extremely hard, silky to touch with a satiny sheen; disc-shaped, almost flat, umbonate but a few seeds somewhat irregularly bent, 10 to 30 mm in diameter, 4 to 6 mm thick, margin rounded or depressed.

Phytoconstituents:-  It contains Alkaloids - Indole Alkaloids, Strychnine & Brucine, Monoterpenoid, Glycoside (Loganin), α, β -Colubrine, Vomicine.

Ayurvedic Properties :-  Rasa : Katu, Tikta, Guna : Laghu, Ruksa, Tiksna, Vipaka : Katu, Virya : Usna, Karma : Grahi, Agnireta, Madakaraka, Vatalam, Kaphanasaka, Pittanasaka, Raktadosa, Nasaka, Rujahara, Vranasodhana, Parama Vedanahara Jantunasana.

Ayurvedic Applications :- Agnimandya, Arsa, Ardita, Grdhrasi, Kandu, Kushha, Klaibya, Paksaghata, Nadi Daurbalya, Visucika, Vrana.

Medicinal Uses :- It is used in cancer, diseases of the digestive tract, chronic constipation, disorders of the heart and circulatory system, diseases of the eye, and lung disease. It is also used for nerve conditions, depression, mental emotions, epilepsy, migraine, headache, anemia, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, symptoms of menopause, spermatorrhoea, erectile dysfunction and a blood vessel disorder called Raynaud's disease.