A mixture of alkaloid compounds extracted from ergot fungus, used historically as a medicine to treat bleeding and uterine problems.
From 'ergot' plus the chemical suffix '-in'. This pharmaceutical term represents the active extract of ergot before individual alkaloids like ergotamine were isolated and purified.
Ergotin was the crude extract used by midwives centuries before modern medicine—it worked, but users had no way to control the dose, making childbirth treatment incredibly risky as patients couldn't predict how much the uterus would contract.
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