Pilocarpic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to or derived from a plant genus known for producing alkaloids with medicinal properties; relating to substances used to stimulate secretion of saliva or treat glaucoma; characterized as an alkaloid compound isolated from certain tropical plants
2. Associated with a group of tropical plants that yield compounds used in medical treatments for eye conditions and salivary stimulation; describing chemical constituents extracted from these plants; referring to a natural product with pharmacological effects
3. Connected to a botanical classification encompassing plants whose extracts are utilized for therapeutic purposes, especially in ophthalmology and xerostomia; indicating chemical agents derived from such species; pertaining to medicinal alkaloids from plant sources

Etymology: "Pilocarpic" is formed from "pilocarpine", the alkaloid that pharmacologists isolated from the leaves of South American shrubs of the genus "Pilocarpus", commonly called jaborandi. The plant's Tupi name, "jaborandi", was known to Brazilian healers long before European chemists took an interest in it. The genus name "Pilocarpus" combines Greek "pilos", felt or cap, with "karpos", fruit, a reference to the hairy fruit of the plant. The adjective simply means "of or relating to pilocarpine or to plants of the genus Pilocarpus". It is a standard technical coinage built on the chemical name, following the common pattern by which drug names ending in "-ine" yield adjectives in "-ic". Its exact first recorded use is not something I can confirm, so the adjective is best understood as a modern scientific formation rather than an old word with a long pedigree.

Synonyms: pilocarpine-related, pilocarpus-derived