The reinvestigation of Strychnos nux-vomica resulted in the isolation of two colorless monoquaternary bisindole alkaloids from the seeds. The structures of the two new compounds named 4-N-hydroxymethyl strychnidin-17-acetic acid (1) and 10, 11-dimethoxy-4-N-hydroxymethyl strychnidin-17-acetic acid (2), were defined by detailed spectral analyses, especially 1H NMR, 13C NMR, DEPT, HSQC, 1H NMR-1H NMR, NOESY, HMBC and TOF-MS. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.