A tropical plant (genus Dorstenia) with medicinal properties, or a medicine or drug made from this plant, historically used to treat snakebites and poisons.
From Spanish 'contrayerba' via medical Latin: contra (against) plus yerba (herb), literally 'counter-herb.' The plant was named for its supposed power to counter poisons, especially venom.
This fascinating plant was a celebrity medicine in the 16th and 17th centuries—people thought it could cure almost any poison or snakebite! It shows how cultures named plants based on what they believed the plants could do.
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