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Glite Dictionary
jaborandi

jaborandi

9.9
A South American plant whose leaves are used to make medicines, especially eye drops
  • noun
  • /ˌdʒæbəˈrɑːndi/
  • Specialized
: jaborandi
  • The leaves of the jaborandi tree, native to Brazil, contain pilocarpine, an alkaloid used to make eye drops to treat glaucoma.

Examples

  • A pharmaceutical company had contracted with villagers living near stands of jaborandi trees in northeastern Brazil to provide the company with a steady supply of the leaves, which it then exported for processing.

    Academic text (1997)

  • While demand for jaborandi leaves did not abate, supply of the trees did, forcing the company to try to plant and cultivate the tree out of fear that its supply of pilocarpine would be exhausted.

    Academic text (1997)

  • The leaves of jaborandi are used in medicine to prepare pilocarpine, which helps treat glaucoma.

  • Many doctors recommend jaborandi leaves for their ability to promote sweating in patients.

  • In Brazil, traditional medicine often incorporates jaborandi due to its beneficial effects on eye health.

Surface Forms

jaborandi singular
jaborandis plural

Etymology

The word jaborandi comes from a native Brazilian (Tupi) name for the plant that people long used in local medicine to make someone 'sweat'. So jaborandi today still means the medicinal leaf used to make the drug pilocarpine and to treat conditions like glaucoma.