A resinous or gummy substance extracted from certain euphorbia plants, historically used in medicine and as a purgative.
From 'euphorbia' + '-ium' (Latin neuter noun suffix). Named after the substance obtained from plants named after Euphorbus, showing how one ancient physician's name echoed through botanical terminology.
In ancient Roman medicine, euphorbium was a famous purgative—basically a powerful laxative that was so harsh it was dangerous, yet people still used it because the alternatives were worse, showing how desperation shapes medical history.
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