In medical terminology, relating to a substance or treatment that moves upward; the opposite of cathartic, which moves downward in the body.
From Greek 'ana-' (up, upward) + 'katharstikos' (cleansing, purgative), literally 'upward-cleansing.' A medical term from antiquity describing contrary movements within the body.
Ancient physicians had an elaborate theory of how medicines moved through the body—some went up, some went down, some went sideways—and they had special names for each direction!
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