Jalap
n.
The tubers of the Mexican plant Ipomœa purga (or Exogonium purga ) of the family Convolvulaceae , a climber much like the morning-glory. The abstract, extract, and powder, prepared from the tubers, are well known purgative (cathartic) medicines, and are also called jalap . Other species of Ipomœa yield several inferior kinds of jalap, as the Ipomœa Orizabensis , and Ipomœa tuberosa .
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