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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Cephaelis Ipecacuanha

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).