1. A bitter alkaloid compound found in the seeds of the nux vomica tree, used historically in medicine and as a pesticide.
Usage: chemistry; pharmacology; also spelled brucine

Examples

• Brucin was once used as a stimulant in traditional medicine.
• The nux vomica plant contains both strychnine and brucin as active alkaloids.
• Brucin has a distinctly bitter taste and was employed in some early pharmaceutical preparations.
• Modern research has largely replaced the use of brucin with safer synthetic alternatives.