An alkaloid compound found in the Calabar bean, now called physostigmine; historically used as a poison and later as a medicine.
Derived from Calabar bean, from the Calabar region of West Africa. Also called physostigmine; the name reflects the African origin of the plant from which this toxic alkaloid is extracted.
The Calabar bean was used by African peoples in ordeal rituals where innocence or guilt was determined by whether you survived the poison—Europeans later realized this deadly compound could medically dilate the eye, creating an extremely dark history of pharmacology.
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