Strychnos Toxifera (or more simply, a curare plant) —Koehler, 1887
Curare is a a darkly colored, resinous extract obtained from various woody plants native to South America.[1] It is arguably best known for its use as the "poison" aspect of poisoned arrows and darts, though it can also be used as an anesthetic and muscle relaxant, if it is prepared correctly. If someone uses or mentions curare in the PPC, it's probably the poisonous variety.
As a poison, curare causes paralysis in all voluntarily controlled muscles (such as those in the eyes and arms), but will not affect the victim's heartbeat or their ability to feel pain. The effects of curare set in within a minute if it is injected directly into an artery and between 15–25 minutes if—as when it is used to tip arrows—it is introduced through muscle tissue. The effects tend to wear off after a time period that can vary from 30 minutes to eight hours, depending on the dose, and can be survived if the victim's breathing is aided artificially until the paralysis wears off. Curare is not harmful to eat, and although it is bitter-tasting on its own, it will not typically affect how someone's venison dinner tastes.[2]
Curare can also be used to refer to certain plants from which the resin can be taken.
Curare and the PPC[]
Curare made its first appearance in the PPC in "Rambling Band" in the Original Series, though the poison Acacia used was not identified until Acacia mentioned it in her author's note at the end of "Lady of the Fellowship," along with a congratulations to Maranogh, who managed to identify the poison using clues within the chapter.
One of the possible murder weapons in PPC Cluedo is a curare-tipped arrow.