demulcent

Dictionary: de·mul·cent (dĭ-mŭl'sənt) pronunciation

adj.

Serving to soothe or soften.

A soothing, usually mucilaginous or oily substance, such as glycerin or lanolin, used especially to relieve pain in inflamed or irritated mucous membranes.

[Latin dēmulcēns, dēmulcent-, present participle of dēmulcēre, to soften : dē-, de- + mulcēre, to stroke.]

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Medical Dictionary: de·mul·cent

(dĭ-mŭl'sənt)
adj.

Relieving irritation; soothing.

A soothing, usually mucilaginous or oily substance, such as glycerin or lanolin, used especially to relieve pain in inflamed or irritated mucous membranes.

Veterinary Dictionary: demulcent

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1. soothing; bland.
2. a soothing mucilaginous or oily medicine or application.

alimentary d. — substances of high molecular mass and good solubility that lubricate, coat and protect the mucosa of the upper alimentary tract. Usually they mask unpleasant tastes, stabilize emulsions, and act as suspension agents. Methyl cellulose, gum tragacanth, agar, mineral oil and propylene glycol are used for this purpose.

WordNet: demulcent

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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: a medication (in the form of an oil or salve etc.) that soothes inflamed or injured skin

The adjective demulcent has one meaning:

Meaning #1: having a softening or soothing effect especially to the skin
Synonyms: emollient, salving, softening

Wikipedia: Demulcent

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A demulcent (derived from the Latin demulcere, "caress") is an agent that forms a soothing film over a mucous membrane, relieving minor pain and inflammation of the membrane. Demulcents such as pectin, glycerin, honey and syrup are common ingredients in cough mixtures. These demulcents will coat the throat and relieve the irritation causing the cough. They can be used to treat any type of cough, but are particularly useful to treat dry coughs. Some demulcents may not be suitable for diabetics as they are based on sugar.

A number of herbs have demulcent properties. These herbs often have a high content of mucilage, and help soothe and protect irritated or inflamed internal tissues of the body.^[1]

Common herbal demulcents include:

External links

A more complete list of plants with demulcent properties is available from Plants for a Future.

References

^ David L. Hoffmann. "Demulcent". Health World. http://www.healthy.net/scr/Article.asp?Id=1478. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.
^ "Plantago Major". http://www.ibiblio.org/pfaf/cgi-bin/arr_html?Plantago+major. Retrieved on 2006-08-28.

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Copyrights:

		Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Read more
		Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Read more
		Veterinary Dictionary. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary 3rd Edition. Copyright © 2007 by D.C. Blood, V.P. Studdert and C.C. Gay, Elsevier. All rights reserved. Read more
		WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. Read more
		Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Demulcent". Read more