a white poisonous alkaloid extracted from the roots of the goldenseal: has been used in medicine (in the form of one of its water-soluble salts) to contract the uterus and arrest haemorrhage. Formula: C21H21NO6
Word origin
C19: from hydrast(is) + -ine2
hydrastine in American English
(haɪˈdræsˌtin; haɪˈdræstɪn)
noun
a bitter, crystalline alkaloid, C21H21NO6, extracted from the rootstock of the goldenseal
Word origin
ModL Hydrastis, name of the genus of herbs (< Gr hydōr, water) + -ine3