Ergotamine

/ɜːɡəˈtæmiːn/ noun

Definition

A powerful alkaloid drug derived from ergot fungus that causes blood vessels to constrict, used medically to treat severe migraines and stop excessive bleeding.

Etymology

From 'ergot' plus the chemical suffix '-amine'. First isolated in 1918, ergotamine became one of the first effective migraine treatments and revolutionized headache medicine.

Kelly Says

Ergotamine is a fascinating drug that comes from a poison—in tiny controlled doses, the same compound that caused medieval madness now stops migraines by squeezing blood vessels back to normal size.

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