The fruit is eaten by monkeys and birds, such as the gray langur. The strychnine-containing seeds have been used in arrow poison. "Strychnos" is promoted within herbal medicine as being a treatment for a wide range of maladies, including cancer and heart disease. There is, however, no evidence it is useful for treating any condition. Indeed, these seeds contain strychnine poison. The plant appears on the Commission E list of unapproved herbs because it has not been proven to be safe or effective and thus is not recommended for use. In Ayurveda (the Indian system of folk medicine), "hudar" is a mixture containing "Strychnos nux-vomica". The seeds are first immersed in water for five days and then in milk for two days followed by their boiling in milk. The level of toxic alkaloids in the unprocessed "Strychnos" seeds used in traditional medicines can be determined using established HPLC methods and HPLC-UV methods.