Another name for physostigmine, an alkaloid that affects the nervous system and was historically used both as a poison and a medical treatment.
Alternative spelling of eserin, derived from the Calabar bean source. Both eserine and physostigmine refer to the same compound, with eserine being the older European name.
This single compound tells an entire story about the overlap between poison and medicine—the Calabar bean that was weaponized in African culture became a tool for Western optometrists and eventually led to important discoveries about how nerves communicate.
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