
                         Ŀ
                         Pharmacology Glossary
                         

    Abortifacient : an Agent that induces abortion.
    Abortion      : The expulsion of a human fetus during the first twelve
                    weeks of development.
    Absorbent     : A substance (such as a sponge) capable of absorbing another
                    element; a drug that promotes the absorption of diseased
                    tissues.
    Acetum        : A solution of aromatic substances in vinegar.
    Ague          : A fever of the malarial type characterized by chills, fever,
                    and sweating at regular intervals.
    Alternative   : An agent capable of favorably altering or changing unhealthy
                    conditions of the body and tending to restore normal bodily
                    function (a Vague term).
    Analgesic     : An agent that allays pain without causing loss of
                    consciousness.
    Anaphrodisiac : An agent that lessons sexual function and desire.
    Anesthetic    : An agent that produces loss of sensation without loss of
                    vital functions.
    Annual        : In botany, a plant that completes its life cycle and dies
                    within one year. Must be replanted every year. (From the
                    Latin meaning of the word).
    Anodyne       : An agent that allays or kills pain.
    Anthelmintic  : An agent used to eliminate or destroy parasitic intestinal
                    worms.
    Anticoagulant : An agent that prevents the formation of a clot in blood.
    Antidote      : An agent that counteracts the effects of a poison.
    Antiemetic    : An agent that relieves nausea and vomiting.
    Antihydrotic  : An agent that checks perspiration by reducing the action of
                    the sweat glands (the opposite of diaphoretic)
    Antiperiodic  : An agent that prevents the periodic return of paroxysms of
                    certain diseases.
    Antipyretic   : An agent that reduces or prevents fever.
    Antiscorbutic : A remedy for scurvy, usually a substance that supplies
                    Vitamin C.
    Antiseptic    : An agent that inhibits the growth of microorganisms on
                    living tissue.
    Antispasmodic : An agent used to prevent or ease muscular spasms or
                    convulsions.
    Aphrodisiac   : An agent that provokes or excites sexual function and desire.
    Appetizer     : An agent that stimulates the appetite.
    Aromatic      : A plant or medicine with a fragrant smell and often a warm
                    pungent taste usually used to mask less pleasant drugs.
    Aromatic Water: A clear solution of distilled water saturated with an
                    aromatic, such as orange flower water or rose water.
    Ascarid       : A roundworm (nematode) parasitic in the intestines of
                    vertebrates.
    Astringent    : 1. a cosmetic for skin cleansing and for contracting the
                    pores. 2. A substance that causes contraction of tissues,
                    checking the discharge of mucus and fluid from the body.
    Avicenna      : Persian physician and philosopher (AD 980-1037) whose most
                    famous medical work was a systematic encyclopedia based on
                    the achievements of Greek physicians and his own experience.
    Bactericide   : An agent that destroys bacteria
    Balsam        : 1. The resinous aromatic exudations of certain plants or
                    trees. 2. An agent, especially an ointment, that heals
                    and sooths.
    Biennial      : In botany, a plant that produces seed in its second year
                    of life and then dies. Must be replanted every other
                    year. (From the Latin meaning a two-year period).
    Binding       : Having the ability to constipate.
    Bruise        : 1. An injury, especially produced by a blow or collision
                    that does not break the surface of the skin but by the
                    rupturing of small blood vessels near the surface to
                    cause the blood to flow into the tissues, which results
                    in discoloration. 2. Crushing or mangling the tissues of
                    a plant to release its properties.
    Calmative     : An agent having a mild sedative action.
    Capsule       : Various-sized hollow soluble transparent tubes used to
                    contain and administer medicines.
    Cardiac       : A substance that acts on the heart.
    Caries        : Tooth decay.
    Carminative   : An agent used to relieve colic, griping, or flatulence
                    or to expel gas from the intestine.
    Castile       : A fine, hard, bland, odorless soap made either partly
                    or completely with olive oil and sodium hydroxide,
                    sometimes with the addition of coconut oil.
    Catarrh       : An inflammation of a mucous membrane (Usually the nasal
                    and air passages) characterized by congestion and the
                    secretion of mucus.
    Cathartic     : An agent used to encourage the evacuation of the bowels
                    (A laxative or purgative).
    Cerate        : Any unctuous preparation of oils, sometimes with
                    medicinals, that is made firm by the addition of wax.
                    Used purely externally.
    Cerebral Depressant : An agent used to lower the vital activity of the
                    brain.
    Cerebral Excitant : An agent used to increase the vital activity of the
                    brain. A Stimulant.
    Colic         : Paroxysmal pain in the abdomen or bowel due to over
                    distention, toxemia, inflammation or obstruction.
    Cordial       : An invigorating and stimulating medicine, food or drink.
    Counterirritant : An agent used to produce superficial inflammation
                    of the skin in order to relieve deeper inflammation.
    Decoction     : A liquid preparation made by boiling a medicinal plant
                    with water, usually one part plant to twenty parts
                    water, boiled in a covered nonmetal conatiner for about
                    fifteen minutes.
    Demulcent     : A medicinal liquid of a bland nature taken internally to
                    soothe infamed mucous surfaces and to protect them from
                    irritation.
    Deodorant     : An agent used to inhibit or mask unpleasant odors.
    Depressant    : An agent that reduces exaggerated functional activity
                    of the tissues.
    Diaphoretic   : A substance that increases perspiration (the opposite
                    of antihydrotic).
    Diarrhea      : An abnormal increase in frequency of intestinal
                    evacuations characterized by their fluid consistency.
    Dioscorides   : A Greek medical man of the first century AD (CE) whose
                    'De Materia Medica' was the leading text on pharmacology
                    for sixteen centuries. The treatise details the
                    properties of about 600 medicinally valuable plants and
                    animal products.
    Disinfectant  : An agent used to free another substance or area of the
                    body from infection by destroying the microorganisms
                    that cause disease.
    Diuretic      : An agent that increases the volume and flow of urine,
                    thereby cleansing the excretory system.
    Dropsy        : An abnormal accumulation of fluid in the body : edema.
    Dysentery     : An inflammation of the colon marked by intense diarrhea
                    with the passage of small amounts of mucus and blood,
                    usually caused by pathogenic bacteria or protozoans.
    Ecbolic       : A drug that accelerates uterine contractions, primarily
                    used to facilitate delivery (Childbirth).
    Elixir        : A sweetened aromatic preparation, about 25% alchol, used
                    as a vehicle for medicinal substances for its flavoring
                    or medicinal qualities.
    Embrocation   : A liniment.
    Emetic        : An agent used to bring on vomiting.
    Emmenagogue   : An agent that stimulates menstrual flow.
    Emollient     : A substance of bland nature used externally to soothe or
                    protect.
    Emulsion      : A preparation composed of totally unhomogenous
                    substances that are intimately mixed, causing one to be
                    suspended in the other. Example : The oil and egg in
                    mayonnaise.
    Enema         : A rectal injection of liquid, often used to encourage
                    evacuation of the bowels.
    Errhine       : An agent that induces sneezing - sternutatory.
    Essence       : 1. The volatile matter constituting perfume. 2. an
                    alchol or water-alchol solution of medicinal substances,
                    usually ten-to-twenty per cent alchol.
    Excretory     : Concerned with the process of elimination of waste
                    products through urine and sweat.
    Expectorant   : A substance used to expel mucus from the respiratory
                    tract.
    Extract       : A solution representing four to six times the strength
                    of the crude drug.
    Exudate       : The liquid that oozes from an inflamed area; the
                    products, such as gums, resins, and mucilages, formed in
                    the metabolical processes of a number of plants.
    Febrifuge     : A substance that reduces or prevents fever: antipyretic.
    Felon         : A painful, deep infection of the finger or toe.
    Fixative      : A substance added to a perfume to prevent the more
                    volitile ingredients from evaporating too quickly.
    Fomentation   : Application of heat and moisture to the body to ease
                    pain or reduce inflammation.
    Galactagogue  : An agent that promotes or increases the secretion of
                    milk.
    Germicide     : A substance that destroys germs.
    Gleet         : A chronic inflammation characterized by an abnormal
                    mucus discharge from the orifice or wound; the mucus
                    discharge of gonorrhea.
    Griping       : Causing a clutching, painful, or grasping feeling in the
                    bowels.
    Hemostatic    : An agent that arrests bleeding and hemorrhages.
    Homeopathy    : A system of healing advocating the administration of
                    small doses of a drug that would, in healthy persons,
                    produce symptoms of the disease being treated.
    Hydragogue    : A cathartic that causes copious watery discharge from
                    the bowels.
    Hydrating     : Having the capacity to maintain or restore the normal
                    proportion of fluid in the body or skin. Hydrating
                    agents are used in cosmetics to keep the skin moist,
                    firm, and young looking.
    Hypnotic      : A drug or other agent that produces or tends to produce
                    sleep without disturbing alertness and receptiveness
                    to others.
    Infusion      : The extraction of the active properties of a substance
                    by steeping or soaking it, usually in water.
    Inhalation    : 1. The act of drawing air into the lungs. 2. A method
                    of treating illness by inhaling medicinals rather than
                    injecting or drinking them.
    Insecticide   : An agent that kills insects.
    Irritant      : A substance that produces irritation or inflammation
                    of the skin or internal tissue.
    Laxative      : A substance used to produce bowel movement and relieve
                    constipation; a mild purgative.
    Liniment      : A medical substance, thinner than an ointment, that is
                    gently rubbed into the skin for relief from the pain
                    of sprains and bruises.
    Liquor        : A solution of medicinal substances in water as
                    distinguished from a tincture, which is a solution in
                    alchol.
    Lotion        : A liquid applied externally, usually to face and hands,
                    for skin disorders or for its cleansing, softening, or
                    astringent qualities.
    Lozenge or Troche : A small flat candy, variously flavored and sometimes
                    medicated.
    Lumbricoid    : A parasitic worm, usually the roundworm Ascaris.
    Malignant Fever : A severely deteriorating or deadly Fever.
    Medicinal       : Any substance used for treating disease.
    Mellita         : Any liquid medicine mixed with honey instead of syrup.
    Morphew         : A skin disease marked by patches of discoloration.
    Mucilage        : A gelatinous substance that swells in water without
                      dissolving and forms a slimy mass. Used as an
                      adhesive or demulcent.
    Mucilaginous    : Resembling a mucilage; slimy, sticky.
    Mydriatic       : A substance that dilates the pupil of the eye.
    Narcotic        : A drug that in moderate doses allays sensibility,
                      relieves pain, and produces sleep but if misused, or
                      taken in large doses, is poisonous to the system.
    Nervine         : A substance that soothes nervous excitement.
    Neuralgia       : A severe recurrent pain along one or more nerves,
                      usually nolt associated with changes in the nerve
                      structure.
    Oxymel          : A preparation containing honey, water, and vinegar,
                      used as an expectorant, usually five parts honey, one
                      part water, and one part vinegar.
    Oxytocic        : A drug that hastens childbirth by inducing the
                      contractions of the uterine muscles.

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