subshrub
A sprawling, 1-2 m tall shrub of the milkweed family. Young shoots are bright yellow, bare. The leaves are alternate, short-petiolate, elliptical or oval-lanceolate. 1.5-7 cm long, rounded at the top. The flower is unisexual (dioecious plants) with a simple cup-shaped perianth, greenish-yellow or green, axillary; male flowers on short legs, 2-15 in a bunch, female flowers – mostly single, on longer (up to 10 mm) legs. The fruit is a three-nest box. Blooms in June.
Spread. Sekurinega bush grows wild in the Far East and Eastern Siberia. On the territory of Ukraine, it is grown in gardens and parks as an ornamental plant.
Procurement and storage . For medicinal purposes, dried young, weakly lignified tops of the shoots of Cormus Securinegae are used. Shoots (with buds, flowers or fruits) are harvested from June to September. The finished raw materials are packed in 40-50 kg bales lined with fabric. The shelf life is 4 years.
Chemical composition . Shoots of securinega contain alkaloids, the main among which is securinine.
Pharmacological properties and use. The alkaloid securinine is similar to strychnine in its action: it stimulates the central nervous system, increases the reflex excitability of the spinal cord. Unlike strychnine, securinine has lower activity and, importantly, less toxicity (by 8-10 times). The use of securinin is indicated for asthenic conditions, paresis and paralysis caused by infectious and other diseases, hypo- and asthenic forms of neurasthenia, sexual impotence due to functional nervous disorders, etc. Sekurinin is contraindicated in hypertension, angina pectoris, cardiosclerosis, bronchial asthma, Bazed’s disease, acute and chronic nephritis, pregnancy, hepatitis, epilepsy, tetany, acute poliomyelitis, in the presence of pain and meningeal syndromes, a tendency to contractures, and respiratory disorders.
Medicinal forms and applications . Securinini nitrate (Securinini Nitras) is taken internally in the form of tablets of 0.002 g (2 mg) twice a day or in the form of a 0.5% solution of 10-20 drops 2 times a day;
injected under the skin in the form of a 0.2% solution of 1 ml (2 mg) once a day.
The course of treatment is 20-30 days. The largest doses for adults inside: single 0.005 g, daily 0.015 g; under the skin: single 0.003 g, daily 0.005 g.