Canadian Medical Guide > Chemicals and Drugs > Complex Mixtures > Plant Preparations > Plant Extracts Terms and Definitions

Plant Extracts

Medical Definition:	Concentrated pharmaceutical preparations of plants obtained by removing active constituents with a suitable solvent, which is evaporated away, and adjusting the residue to a prescribed standard.
Guide Notes:	IM GEN only; NIM when specific plant term is IM; /ther use: coord with disease /drug ther, not /ther; extracts of medicinal plants in Chinese med = PLANT EXTRACTS, CHINESE see DRUGS, CHINESE HERBAL: TN J
Previously Indexed:	Plants (1966)

Plant Extracts Categories.

	Drugs, Chinese Herbal - Chinese herbal or plant extracts which are used as drugs to treat diseases or promote general well-being. The concept does not include synthesized compounds manufactured in China.
	Guaiac - Resin from wood of certain species of GUAIACUM. It is used as clinical reagent for occult blood.
	Ipecac - A syrup made from the dried rhizomes of two different species, CEPHAELIS ipecacuanha and C. acuminata. They contain EMETINE, cephaeline, psychotrine and other ISOQUINOLINES. Ipecac syrup is used widely as an emetic acting both locally on the gastric mucosa and centrally on the chemoreceptor trigger zone.
	Podophyllin - Caustic extract from the roots of Podophyllum peltatum and P. emodi. It contains PODOPHYLLOTOXIN and its congeners and is very irritating to mucous membranes and skin. Podophyllin is a violent purgative that may cause CNS damage and teratogenesis. It is used as a paint for warts, skin neoplasms, and senile keratoses.
	Psyllium - Dried, ripe seeds of Plantago psyllium, P. indica, and P. ovata (Plantaginaceae). Plantain seeds swell in water and are used as demulcents and bulk laxatives.
	Resins, Plant - Flammable, amorphous, vegetable products of secretion or disintegration, usually formed in special cavities of plants. They are generally insoluble in water and soluble in alcohol, carbon tetrachloride, ether, or volatile oils. They are fusible and have a conchoidal fracture. They are the oxidation or polymerization products of the terpenes, and are mixtures of aromatic acids and esters. Most are soft and sticky, but harden after exposure to cold. (From Grant & Hackh's Chemical Dictionary, 5th ed & Dorland, 28th ed)
	Senna Extract - Preparations of Cassia senna and C. angustifolia (see SENNA PLANT). They contain sennosides, which are anthraquinone type CATHARTICS and are used in many different preparations as laxatives.

Plant Extracts Medical Definitions and Terms

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