''Ipomoea purga'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''

Ipomoea ''Ipomoea'' () is the largest genus in the plant family Convolvulaceae, with over 600 species. It is a large and diverse group, with common names including morning glory, Ipomoea aquatica, water convolvulus or water spinach, sweet potato, ...

''. It is commonly referred to as

jalap Jalap is a cathartic drug, largely obsolete in Western medicine, consisting of the tuberous roots of '' Ipomoea purga'', a convolvulaceous plant growing on the eastern declivities of the Sierra Madre Oriental of Mexico at an elevation of above ...

and is probably also the source of the

John the Conqueror John the Conqueror, also known as High John the Conqueror, John, Jack, and many other folk variants, is a deity from the African-American spiritual system called hoodoo. Due to there being little early written information on the John the Conqu ...

amulet legend.

Description

''Ipomoea purga'' is described as a vine that can reach heights of . When fresh, the root is black externally, white and milky within, and varies in size according to its age. It has heart shaped leaves and purple trumpet like flowers. ''Ipomoea purga'' is rather difficult to break down, but if triturated with cream of tartar, sugar of milk, or other hard salts, the process of pulverization is much easier, and the powder rendered much finer. When in powder form in order to ingest, the color is a pale grayish brown. ''Ipomoea purga'' is native to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

and it is

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

in other parts of the neotropics.

Discovery

''Ipomoea purga'' was encountered by Spanish conquistadores during the conquest of Mexico. It was introduced to Europe in 1565 as a medical herb used to treat an array of illnesses up until the 19th century when modern medical practices became the norm.

Medical uses

Called "mechoacán" and "mechoacan potato" by English explorers, the root contains a resin known as

, which is a powerful

cathartic In medicine, a cathartic is a substance that ''accelerates'' defecation. This is similar to a laxative, which is a substance that ''eases'' defecation, usually by softening feces. It is possible for a substance to be both a laxative and a cathar ...

that causes intense vomiting and diarrhea that in rare cases proves fatal. When applied to a wound, it is said to induce purgation. ''Ipomoea purga'' resin can be dissolved in either

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

as a

tincture A tincture is typically an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol (ethyl alcohol). Solvent concentrations of 25–60% are common, but may run as high as 90%.Groot Handboek Geneeskrachtige Planten by Geert Verhelst In chemistr ...

diethyl ether Diethyl ether, or simply ether, is an organic compound with the chemical formula , sometimes abbreviated as . It is a colourless, highly Volatility (chemistry), volatile, sweet-smelling ("ethereal odour"), extremely flammable liquid. It belongs ...

. The resin that is insoluble in ether is odorless while the resin soluble in alcohol does have an odor and is typically a brownish color. A substance with the chemical formula C₂₈H₅₂O₁₄ that is produced in ''Ipomoea purga'' roots can be broken apart into a sugar molecule (C₆H₁₂O₆) and convolvulinolic acid (C₁₆H₃₀O₃).

Synonyms

;

Basionym In the scientific name of organisms, basionym or basyonym means the original name on which a new name is based; the author citation of the new name should include the authors of the basionym in parentheses. The term "basionym" is used in both botan ...

*''Convolvulus purga'' ; Homotypic *''Exogonium purga'' ; Heterotypic *''Convolvulus officinalis'' *''Ipomœa jalapa'' *''Ipomœa jalapa'' *''Ipomoea Schiedeana Zuccar.

Bibliography

Notes

References

* ; ; . * ( reflowable ebook); (hardcover); ; ( reflowable ebook); . * Retrieved July 2, 2024. .

* Retrieved December 24, 2017. * Retrieved December 2, 2013. (1898 ed.); . : . * (Online)

The name "Ipomoea jalapa" as used by Nuttall and Cox is considered illegitimate (''

nomen illegitimum ''Nomen illegitimum'' (Latin for illegitimate name) is a technical term used mainly in botany. It is usually abbreviated as ''nom. illeg.'' Although the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants uses Latin terms as qualif ...

'' = illegitimate name) because the valid publication of the name was made by

Frederick Traugott Pursh Frederick Traugott Pursh (or Friedrich Traugott Pursch) (February 4, 1774 – July 11, 1820) was a German people, German–United States, American botanist. Born in Großenhain, in the Electorate of Saxony, under the name Friedrich Traugott Pursh, ...

in ''

Curtis's Botanical Magazine ''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''. Each of the issue ...

'' → ''Plate'' 1572 → published by Samuel Curtis,

Walworth Walworth ( ) is a district of South London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. It adjoins Camberwell to the south and Elephant and Castle to the north, and is south-east of Charing Cross. Major streets in Walworth include the ...

. August 1, 1813. Initially, subsequent usage that did not follow the ''American Code of Botanical Nomenclature'' (compare → ''

International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants The ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN or ICNafp) is the set of rules and recommendations dealing with the formal botanical names that are given to plants, fungi and a few other groups of organisms, all tho ...

'') was not accepted. However, according to later formulated American Code of Botanical Nomenclature, the 1813 publication did not constitute publication of the name in a technical sense.

* Retrieved July 5, 2024. (journal); (journal); (journal); (article).

Note: Philippe Gabriel Pelletan (1792–1879) was the son of Philippe-Jean Pelletan (1747–1829).

* ; .

* * Retrieved July 2, 2024. ; .

* Retrieved July 2, 2024. .
Re:

Karl Theodor Hartweg Karl Theodor Hartweg (18 June 1812 – 3 February 1871) was a German botanist. He collected numerous new species of plants in Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico and California in the United States, collecting for the London Horticultural Society ...
(1812–1871)
Robert Graham (1786–1845)

* ; ; .

{{Authority control purga Flora of Mexico