Ipecacuanha

1 definition found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Ipecacuanha \Ip`e*cac`u*an"ha\
     ([i^]p`[-e]*k[a^]k`[-u]*[a^]n"[.a]), n. [Pg. ipecacuanha (cf.
     Sp. ipecacuana); fr. Braz. ipe-kaa-guena, prop., a creeping
     plant that causes vomiting.] (Med. & Bot.)
     The root of a Brazilian rubiaceous herb ({Cepha["e]lis
     Ipecacuanha}), largely employed as an emetic; also, the plant


     itself; also, a medicinal extract of the root. Many other
     plants are used as a substitutes; among them are the black or
     Peruvian ipecac ({Psychotria emetica}), the white ipecac
     ({Ionidium Ipecacuanha}), the bastard or wild ipecac
     ({Asclepias Curassavica}), and the undulated ipecac
     ({Richardsonia scabra}).
     [1913 Webster]