A climbing plant (Citrullus colocynthis) with small, bitter fruits used historically as a powerful laxative medicine or purgative.
From Greek 'kolokyntha,' possibly related to 'kolokynte' (a type of gourd). The term entered European languages through Latin and Arabic botanical texts, as the plant was well-known in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern medicine.
Colocynth was so notoriously effective as a laxative that medieval doctors had to be super careful with dosing—it's actually toxic in large amounts, so some patients probably got 'cured' of their constipation a little more violently than intended.
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