Kupīlu

• Kupīlu (Strychnos nux‑vomica Linn., Family: Loganiaceae) is extensively used in various conditions such as nervous debility, paralysis, and weakness of limbs, sexual weakness, dyspepsia, dysentery, and rheumatism after proper Śodhana.

• It is used as a potent rasāyana drug for old age problems.

• Kupīlu has been reported to contain active alkaloids (strychnine and brucine), which are highly poisonous.

• Different techniques have been used for the analysis and quantification of strychnine and brucine in its raw and processed seeds.

• Kupīlu is used not only in Ayurveda but also in Chinese and Unani system of medicine after processing.

• There are several specific Śodhana procedures, which have been adopted to purify the toxic materials from the seeds of Kupīlu.

• Classical method of purification includes soaking of Kupīlu seeds in liquid media (one after another) for 3–20 days.

• The liquid media include kāñji (soaking for 3 days), Godugdha (boiling for 3 h), Gomūtra (7 days soaking) and Goghṛta (fried till brownish red in color and swollen) whereas traditional practitioners use castor oil (Eraṇḍa taila) instead of grita to fry or immerse the seeds in the exudates scraped from the fresh leaves and stems of Aloe vera (ghṛtakumārī) for 15 days, followed by ginger juice (Ārdraka svarasa) for 7 days for purification.

• After Śodhana process, the seeds are washed with lukewarm water where the outer seed coat and embryo are removed from the cotyledons.

• Similarly in Chinese system of medicine, nux‑vomica is fried with sesame oil for detoxification. Kupīlu after Śodhana exhibits low percentage of total alkaloid content (strychnine and brucine); and the toxic loganin glycoside is eliminated.

• Detoxification of Kupīlu might be due to the chemical changes that causes the enhance N–oxidation and conversion of strychnine and brucine into less toxic derivatives such as isostrychnine, isobrucine, strychnine N–oxide, brucine N–oxide, and reduced level of loganic acid content of the seeds.

• The preliminary phytochemical investigation also shows significant changes in the level of phytoconstituents in different methods of Śodhana.

• Being acidic in nature, kāñji is a better extraction medium because it may facilitate the extraction of alkaloids and other phytochemicals.

• Ādraka svarasa also produces better results in reducing the toxic constituents (alkaloids) present in the seeds.

• Though larger doses of strychnine are known to be lethal, in lower doses it is known to be a stimulator. Gomūtra Śodhita Kupīlu shows better pharmacological potency than the raw seeds.

• It has also been reported that Śodhana processes of Kupīlu enhances its hepatoprotective potency.

• The detoxification study of S. nux‑vomica seeds was performed by Katiyar et al. by traditional methods using aloe and ginger juice, by frying in cow ghee and by boiling in cow milk.

• All the treated samples were extracted with ethanol. Ethanol extracts were used for the evaluation of spontaneous motor acting (SMA), pentobarbitone‑induced hypnosis, pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)‑induced convoulsions, diazepam‑assisted protection and morphine induced catalepsy.

• Ethanolic extracts of all the samples reduced SMA and inhibiting catalepsy, but seeds processed in milk showed the lowest content of .

• Seeds of nux‑vomica were also processed in castor oil by Mitra et al. where the strychnine and brucine contents in processed and unprocessed seed of nux‑vomica were estimated by HPLC.

• Strychnine and brucine content in the processed seed reduced up to 67.40% and 46.58% respectively as compared to unprocessed seeds.

• In another experiment, Mitra et al.[75] also performed the detoxification study of nux‑vomica seeds by using cow urine, cow milk and both. After the treatment, strychnine and brucine contents were determined by HPLC.

• Maximum reduction in the alkaloids content was found when seeds were purified in cow urine (soaking for 7 days), followed by boiling in cow milk for 3 h.

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