Curare

Uncommon card · No. 101057

Curare is a collective term for plant-derived arrow poisons traditionally prepared and used by Indigenous peoples of Central and South America, especially for hunting. Curare preparations are complex mixtures of alkaloids obtained from numerous plants, principally species of the Menispermaceae and Strychnaceae families, including Chondrodendron tomentosum and Strychnos toxifera. Traditional preparations are made by boiling plant material and concentrating the liquid into a dark paste that can be applied to arrows or blowgun darts. Curare alkaloids act as non-depolarizing neuromuscular blockers. Compounds such as d-tubocurarine and toxiferine competitively block nicotinic acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular junction, preventing nerve impulses from activating skeletal muscles. Sufficient doses can therefore cause widespread paralysis and death by respiratory failure. Curare is ineffective when swallowed because its compounds are poorly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract...

Read on Wikipedia · Image CC BY 4.0