An alkaloid has been obtained from it similar to strychnine.

There is no doubt that all kinds of wild animals die from the effects of poisoned arrows, except the elephant and hippopotamus.

The amount of poison that this little weapon can convey into their systems being too small to kill those huge beasts, the hunters resort to the beam trap instead.
Another kind of poison was met with on Lake Nyassa, which was said to be used exclusively for killing men.

It was put on small wooden arrow-heads, and carefully protected by a piece of maize-leaf tied round it.

It caused numbness of the tongue when the smallest particle was tasted.