| Description Of Item | Powdered Jalap, prepared by Duncan, Flockhart & Co., Chemists to her Majesty. Jalap is the name of the drug and the plant it comes from, traditionally grown in Mexico, India and Jamaica. Powdered jalap is made from the tuberous roots of the plant and was used as a cathartic or purgative medicine to accelerate defecation. Although it was introduced to Europe in 1565 and commonly used until the nineteenth century, jalap is no longer used in Western medicine and is now considered unsafe with numerous harmful side-effects. |