Ma Qian Zi

What is Ma Qian Zi?

Ma Qian Zi is the dried seed of a tree called Strychnos nux-vomica. It contains strychnine, a poison that causes violent muscle spasms. A small overdose can kill an adult.

The gap between the amount once used in old medicine and a deadly amount is very small. Deaths have followed seeds taken by mouth. Harm has also followed products rubbed on the skin.

This page gives no amount and no method. Traditional use is not proof that a herb works, and it is not proof of safety. Here you will find what it is, what old texts claimed, and what to do if someone has swallowed it.

How does Ma Qian Zi work?

Strychnine turns off the body's brake on nerves. Nerves in your spine use a signal called glycine to tell muscles to relax. Strychnine blocks that signal.

With the brake gone, tiny things set the muscles off. A sound, a light or a touch can start a spasm over the whole body.

Death comes when the muscles used for breathing lock up. The person cannot take a breath. The mind often stays clear through it.

The same nerve effect is why old texts valued the seed. Very small amounts were said to stir feeling in numb limbs and to dull pain. But the line between that and poisoning is far too thin to judge at home.

The body breaks strychnine down in the liver. If your liver or kidneys work poorly, the poison lingers longer. That makes harm more likely.

What forms does Ma Qian Zi come in?

You may meet Ma Qian Zi as whole dried seeds. They are flat, round and disc shaped, with a grey silky coat.

It also turns up as a powder inside ready-made Chinese pills and tablets, often ones sold for pain or stiff joints. Some plasters, oils and rubs for sore joints list it too.

Some labels use other names. Look for nux vomica, semen strychni, poison nut, or strychnine itself.

A separate product, homeopathic Nux vomica, is sold in very high dilutions and is a different thing. Labels can look alike, and mix-ups happen. If a product is not a homeopathic dilution and lists any of these names, treat it as a poison.

Where it comes from:

Ma Qian Zi came into Chinese medicine fairly late. It appears in materia medica texts of the Ming dynasty, around the 1500s, including Li Shizhen's great herbal.

Old doctors placed it among herbs said to move blood and open blocked channels. They gave it for pain that would not shift, for swollen joints, and for limbs that had gone numb or limp.

It was always listed as a poison herb. Texts hedged it with warnings. It was used in very small amounts, inside made-up pills, and never as a casual home remedy.

It also had a long life as an outside remedy, smeared or plastered on sore joints and lumps. Skill in old handling methods did not make the seed safe, and it does not make it safe now.

What does Ma Qian Zi help with?

• Long-term pain in joints or nerves: Old texts said it opened blocked channels and broke up stuck pain. It was a last-resort herb, not a first one. There are no good human trials to back this. What we do have is a long list of poisoning reports.
• Numb limbs and loss of feeling: Tradition said tiny amounts could wake up dead feeling in an arm or a leg. This came from the way strychnine stirs up nerves. Stirring up nerves is also how it kills. No trial shows a safe way to get one effect without the other.
• Weak or limp limbs after a stroke or nerve injury: Old practice used it in formulas for limbs that had lost their strength. Some modern Chinese patent pills still carry it for this reason. The human evidence is weak and the risk is high. Rehab and physio (movement therapy) have far better support.
• Swollen, painful joints: It was used inside pills and in plasters for hot, swollen, aching joints. No reliable trial shows it beats safer options. Poisoning has been reported from both the pills and the skin products.
• Lumps, boils and swellings on the skin: Old texts used it on the skin to break up lumps and ease sore spots. Skin use is not a safe loophole. Strychnine soaks through skin, and people have been poisoned this way.

What are the side effects of Ma Qian Zi?

• Twitching muscles, and a stiff jaw and neck
• Whole-body spasms set off by a noise, a light or a touch
• The back arching hard, bending the body backwards
• A fixed grin, as the face muscles lock
• Trouble breathing, as the chest muscles lock up
• A clear mind during the spasms, which is terrifying for the person
• A very high body temperature
• Muscle breakdown that can harm the kidneys
• A racing heart and high blood pressure
• A sick stomach, being sick, and belly pain
• Restlessness, fear, and senses that feel too sharp
• Liver harm, reported in some cases
• Death, from not being able to breathe

Good to know:

These are not mild side effects. Harm from this seed means poisoning.

Signs can start within about 15 to 30 minutes of swallowing. Spasms can begin with no warning at all.

Skin products can poison too. Strychnine passes through skin.

People have died from small mistakes in amount. There is no home fix. Someone showing these signs needs emergency care now.

Is Ma Qian Zi legal where you live?

In the United States, strychnine is regulated as a poison and is not permitted in dietary supplements, and the FDA has acted against products containing nux vomica. In the United Kingdom, nux vomica and strychnine fall under medicines law, and sale to the public is restricted. In mainland China, Ma Qian Zi is on the official list of toxic medicinals and may only be supplied by licensed pharmacies and practitioners under strict rules. Rules differ elsewhere, so check the law where you live.

Options to discuss with a clinician

Nothing here is a swap for Ma Qian Zi. These are safer routes to the problems it was once used for. Talk each one over with a doctor or a registered practitioner before you start.

For nerve pain: a doctor can look for the cause and can prescribe medicines made for nerve pain.

For sore joints: everyday pain relief, heat packs, and rubs with menthol or capsaicin (the hot part of chilli) are much safer. A physio (a movement therapist) can help you move better too.

For weak limbs after a stroke or nerve injury: rehab and physio have the strongest track record. Ask your doctor for a referral.

If you want Chinese medicine: a registered practitioner can build a formula from non-toxic herbs. Ask them plainly to leave out Ma Qian Zi, Chuan Wu and Cao Wu.

With any patent pill, check for a full ingredient list. If the list is missing or vague, do not take it, and show it to a pharmacist.