Syrup of ipecac
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| ECHA InfoCard | 100.029.439 |
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Syrup of ipecac (/ˈɪpᵻkæk/), commonly referred to as ipecac, is a drug that was once used as a cough syrup and to induce vomiting. It is obtained from the dried rhizome and roots of Carapichea ipecacuanha from which it derives its name. Ipecac has been found by scientific and medical agencies to have minimal health benefits, and ultimately to be ineffective at purging the body of poisonous substances. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists advises that "Ipecac syrup is no longer recommended for routine management of outpatient ingestions of medications or other chemicals."
The commercial preparation of ipecac consists of 1/14 of an alcoholic extract of the roots and rhizomes of ipecac root. The rest is composed of glycerin, sugar syrup, and methylparaben. Ipecac root itself is a poison, but in this diluted form, its ability to induce immediate vomiting means that the syrup is seldom fatal.
Ipecac was used in cough mixtures as an expectorant or an emetic from the 18th until the early 20th century. For instance, Ipecac and opium were used to produce Dover's powder, which was used in syrup form.
In 1965, the FDA approved the sale of up to one ounce of syrup of ipecac without a prescription. At the time it was approved, its use was recommended by the AAP, AAPCC, AMA, and the FDA's medical advisory board as a method to induce vomiting "for quick first-aid use in the home, under medical supervision", for use in cases of accidental poisoning.
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