materia medica

materia /ma·te·ria/ (mah-tēr´e-ah) [L.] matter.

---

materia al´ba  whitish deposits on the teeth, composed of mucus and epithelial cells containing bacteria and filamentous organisms.

materia me´dica  pharmacology.

---

materia med·i·ca (md-k)

n.

The branch of medical science that deals with the origin, preparation, dosage, and administration of drugs.

---

Materia medica

In homeopathy, reference books compiled from provings of the various natural remedies.

Mentioned in: Homeopathic Medicine, Constitutional Prescribing

---

materia medica (mat. med.),

1 the study of the origins, preparation, uses, and effects of drugs and other substances used in medicine.

2 a substance or a drug used in medical treatment.

---

materia medica (m·tirˑ·ē· meˑ·di·k),

n a volume or volumes of collected information about the origins, effects, methods of preparation, and uses of therapeutic plants, minerals, and other substances in medicine.

---

materia medica,

n the study of drugs and other substances used in medicine, their origins, preparation, uses, and effects.

---

materia medica

the study of materials used as medicine. It used to be a subject in veterinary curricula and dealt mostly with the physical and chemical characteristics of the medicinal substances. As a science it has now been largely superseded by pharmacology.

---

Chinese materia medicamateria medica

a standard reference book of information on medicinal substances used in Chinese herbal medicine.