croton oil

croton oil
a brownish-yellow oil, expressed from the seeds of the croton, Croton tiglium, that is a drastic purgative and counterirritant.
[1870-75]

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      poisonous viscous liquid obtained from the seeds of a small Asiatic tree, Croton tiglium, of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). The tree is native to or cultivated in India and the Indonesian Archipelago. Croton oil is pale yellow to brown and is transparent, with an acrid persistent taste and disagreeable odour. Highly toxic and a violent irritant, it was formerly used as a drastic purgative and counter-irritant in human and veterinary medicine but is now considered too dangerous for medicinal use. The use of croton oil as a drug apparently originated in China. It was introduced to the West by the Dutch in the 16th century.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Croton oil — (Crotonis Oleum) is an oil prepared from the seeds of Croton tiglium, a tree belonging to the natural order Euphorbiales and family Euphorbiaceae, and native or cultivated in India and the Malay Archipelago. Small doses taken internally cause… …   Wikipedia

  • Croton oil — Croton Cro ton (kr? t?n), n. [Gr. ????, prop., a tick, which the seed of the croton resembles.] (Bot.) A genus of euphorbiaceous plants belonging to tropical countries. [1913 Webster] {Croton oil} (Med.), a viscid, acrid, brownish yellow oil… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • croton oil — n. a thick, bitter oil obtained from croton seeds: it is used as a counterirritant and, rarely, as a strong cathartic …   English World dictionary

  • croton oil — A fixed oil expressed from the seeds of Croton tiglium (family Euphorbiaceae), an East Indian shrub; used as an irritant purgative, and externally as a counterirritant and vesicant. * * * croton oil krōt ən n a viscid acrid fixed oil from an… …   Medical dictionary

  • croton oil — Oil from the seeds of the tropical plant Croton tiglium (Euphorbiaceae), causes severe skin irritation and contains a potent tumour promoter (co carcinogen), phorbol ester …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • croton oil — noun viscid acrid brownish yellow oil from the seeds of Croton tiglium having a violent cathartic action • Hypernyms: ↑oil • Substance Holonyms: ↑croton, ↑Croton tiglium …   Useful english dictionary

  • croton oil — cro′ton oil n. chem. pha an oil, expressed from the seeds of the croton, Croton tiglium, that is a drastic purgative and counterirritant • Etymology: 1870–75 …   From formal English to slang

  • croton oil — noun Date: 1827 a viscid acrid fixed oil obtained from seeds of an Asian croton (Croton tiglium) formerly used as a powerful purgative but now used especially in pharmacological experiments as an irritant …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • croton oil — noun A dark yellow, acrid oil, obtained from the seeds of plants of the genus Croton, once used as a drastic purgative …   Wiktionary

  • croton oil — /kroʊtn ˈɔɪl/ (say krohtn oyl) noun a powerful purgative oil from Croton tiglium, a shrub or tree of South East Asia …  

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