n.
Organic compound, an alkaloid that occurs in various tropical American plants (mostly of the genus Strychnos ) and causes paralysis .
Crude preparations have long been used by native people as an arrow poison. It relaxes skeletal muscle by competing with acetylcholine at nerve endings. A purified form is used in anesthesiology to prevent any movement of patients during surgery. Small amounts bring profound relaxation, with prompt recovery and few complications.