What Is Curare & Where Is it Found?

Curare is a type of plant poison that was originally developed by South American tribes to hunt and kill prey. Later on, curare became a favorite poison of mystery writers because of its frightening paralytic properties. Curare now also has medicinal uses as well.

Source

• Curare comes from several different types of plants native to the South American tropics.

History

• Curare was used on arrow tips by Amazonian tribes--its strength was tested by how many times a frog leaped after being shot. It was noticed by the first Western explorers, and medical experimentation with curare lead to discoveries in the 20th century.

Types

• The word "curare" actually covers three different types of plant poisons, each with different toxins and each classified by how South American tribespeople stored it. There is "tubocurare," which was packed into tubes; "calebas" or "gourd curare," which was stored in gourds; and "pot curare," stored in pots.

Effects

• Curare paralyzes the skeletal muscles--a curare victim will eventually die because paralysis stops them from breathing. Victims are conscious throughout the ordeal.

Treatment

• Artificial respiration can help victims of curare poisoning, as eventually the poison will wear off and the victim will be able to breathe on her own once more.

Uses

• Curare can actually be used as a medication for people with muscle spasms or for polio victims. It's also been used to immobilize surgery patients during very delicate operations (the patients are kept on artificial respirators).