Any of numerous plants of the family Gentianaceae and especially the genus Gentiana, characteristically having opposite leaves and showy, often blue flowers.
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The dried rhizome and roots of a yellow-flowered European gentian, G. lutea, sometimes used as a tonic.
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Designating a family (Gentianaceae, order Gentianales) of dicotyledonous plants, including the fringed gentians and the closed gentians.
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Any of a large genus (Gentiana) of plants of the gentian family, with blue, white, red, or yellow flowers.
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The bitter root of the yellow gentian (G. lutea), used as a gastrointestinal tonic.
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Any of numerous plants of the family Gentianaceae and especially the genus Gentiana, characteristically having opposite leaves and showy, often blue flowers.
noun
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The dried rhizome and roots of a yellow-flowered European gentian, G. lutea, sometimes used as a tonic.
noun
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Any of various herbs of the family Gentianaceae found in temperate and mountainous regions with violet or blue flowers.
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The dried roots and rhizome of a European gentian, Gentiana lutea, used as a tonic.
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Origin of gentian
Middle English gencianfrom Old French gencianefrom Latin gentiānaperhaps after Gentius, second-century bc king of Illyria
Sentence Examples
One medical study, using large amounts of gentian violet in rats, found that it could cause cancer.
When the secretion of gastric juice is deficient it may be excited by gastric tonics, such as ten grains of bicarbonate of soda and a drachm of compound tincture of gentian in water shortly before meals, and may be supplemented by the administration of pepsin and hydrochloric acid after meals.
The bitterness is imparted by such substances as bitter orange rind, gentian, rhubarb, quassia, cascarilla, angostura, quinine and cinchona.
Those which act upon the alimentary canal: Simple bitters such as quassia wood, columbo root, taraxacum, gentian, chiretta, and many others, irritate gently the mucous membrane of the stomach and bowels, and by increasing the secretions improve the appetite and digestion.
7-trihydroxyxanthone, is found in the form of its methyl ether (gentisin) in gentian root; it is obtained synthetically by condensing phloroglucin with hydroquinone carboxylic acid.