Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Diarrhea
A watery evacuation of the bowels, without blood. Abnormal frequency and fluidity of stool discharges. The rapid movement of fecal matter through the intestine. Excessive loss of feces and water through the intestine. The most frequent cause of diarrhea is that of food-borne illness. A variety of pathogens can cause food-borne illness. Diarrhea can result…
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Cytoprotectant
A substance or reaction that acts against chemical or biological damage to cell membranes. The most common cytoprotectant actions are on the skin and the liver (hepato-protectant), although there has been recent research involving lymphocyte T-cell cytoprotectants.
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Crude drug
A dried, unprocessed plant, properly referring to one that was or is an official drug plant or the source of a refined drug substance. A crude botanical, on the other hand, is one of our herbs that has no official standing. (Examples: Digitalis leaves [crude drug], White Sage [crude botanical].)
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Crenulated or crenate
Leaves having rounded, scalloped teeth along the edges.
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Cordillera
The mountain ridge that spans North America, from Mexico through the Rocky Mountains into Alaska.
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Congestion
The accumulation of an excess volume of fluid, including blood, in an organ or tissue. I use it in the subclinical definition, with fluid buildup as a consequence of unremitting inflammation, with edema of the parts, and resultant venous and lymphatic drainage, impairment, causing a distinctly less organic and more functional problem: thick and boggy…
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Circumboreal
Plants that are found worldwide, encircling the lands around the north pole.
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Catabolic
The part of metabolism that deals with destruction or simplification of more complex compounds. Catabolism mostly results in the release of energy. (Examples: the release of glucose by the liver, the combustion of glucose by cells.) Describes the destructive phase of metabolism. Regarding the subject of catabolism, which refers to the process by which complex…
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Cardioglycosides
Sugar-containing plant substances that, in proper doses, act as heart stimulants. (Examples: digitoxin, stropanthin.)
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Buffering system
The several blood factors that enable the acid waste products of metabolism to be carried in the alkaline blood without disrupting its chemistry. These include carbolic acid, carbonates, phosphates, blood proteins, and even hemoglobin. You can almost say that the blood is an acid sponge.
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