Ipecac used to be a standard part of the medicine cabinet. It was used to rapidly induce vomiting to treat orally ingested poisons. This medicine was derived from the rhizome of a small, shrubby tropical plant. The roots produce the active ingredient, and it was grown only in the tropics. However, newer studies revealed that the rapid stomach purging produced by ipecac was less effective at lowering poison concentrations in the body when compared to using oral activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is more effective in treating poisons through the entire gastrointestinal tract.
Growing Home: Ipecac
