mineral oil

oil (oil)

1. an unctuous, combustible substance that is liquid, or easily liquefiable, on warming, and is soluble in ether but not in water. Oils may be animal, vegetable, or mineral in origin, and volatile or nonvolatile (fixed). A number of oils are used as flavoring or perfuming agents in pharmaceutical preparations.

2. a fat that is liquid at room temperature.

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borage oil  that extracted from the seeds of borage; used for the treatment of neurodermatitis and as a food supplement.

cajeput oil  a volatile oil from the fresh leaves and twigs of cajeput; used as a stimulant and rubefacient in rheumatism and other muscle and joint pain.

canola oil  rapeseed oil, specifically that prepared from rapeseed plants bred to be low in erucic acid.

castor oil  a fixed oil obtained from the seed of Ricinus communis; used as a bland topical emollient and also occasionally as a strong cathartic.

clove oil  a volatile oil from cloves; used externally in the treatment of colds and headache and as a dental antiseptic and analgesic; it also has various uses in Indian medicine.

cod liver oil  partially destearinated, fixed oil from fresh livers of Gadus morrhua and other fish of the family Gadidae; used as a source of vitamins A and D.

corn oil  a refined fixed oil obtained from the embryo of Zea mays; used as a solvent and vehicle for various medicinal agents and as a vehicle for injections. It has also been promoted as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids in special diets.

cottonseed oil  a fixed oil from seeds of cultivated varieties of the cotton plant (Gossypium) ; used as a solvent and vehicle for drugs.

essential oil  volatile o.

ethiodized oil  an iodine addition product of the ethyl ester of fatty acids of poppyseed oil; used as a diagnostic radiopaque medium.

eucalyptus oil  a volatile oil from the fresh leaf of species of Eucalyptus; used as a pharmaceutical flavoring agent, as an expectorant and local antiseptic, for rheumatism, and in folk medicine.

evening primrose oil  that produced from the ripe seeds of evening primrose(Oenothera biennis) ; used in the treatment of mastalgia, premenstrual syndrome, and atopic eczema.

expressed oil , fatty oil, fixed oil a nonvolatile oil, i.e., one that does not evaporate on warming; such oils consist of a mixture of fatty acids and their esters, and are classified as solid, semisolid, and liquid, or as drying, semidrying, and nondrying as a function of their tendency to solidify on exposure to air.

fennel oil  a volatile oil distilled from fennel (the seeds of Foeniculum vulgare ); used for cough, bronchitis, and dyspepsia and as a pharmaceutical flavoring agent.

iodized oil  an iodine addition product of vegetable oil; used as a diagnostic radiopaque medium.

lavender oil  a volatile oil distilled from the flowering tops of lavender or prepared synthetically; used for loss of appetite, dyspepsia, nervousness, and insomnia; also widely used in folk medicine.

mineral oil  a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons from petroleum; used as a lubricant laxative, drug vehicle, and skin emollient and cleanser. Light mineral o., of lesser density, is used similarly.

olive oil  a fixed oil obtained from ripe fruit of Olea europaea; used as a setting retardant for dental cements, topical emollient, pharmaceutic necessity, and sometimes as a laxative.

peanut oil  the refined fixed oil from peanuts (Arachis hypogaea); used as a solvent and vehicle for drugs.

peppermint oil  a volatile oil from fresh overground parts of the flowering plant of peppermint (Mentha piperita); used as a flavoring agent for drugs, and as a gastric stimulant and carminative.

rapeseed oil  the oil expressed from the seeds of the rapeseed plant; used in the manufacture of soaps, margarines, and lubricants. See also canola o.

safflower oil  an oily liquid extracted from the seeds of the safflower, Carthamus tinctorius, containing predominantly linoleic acid; used as a pharmaceutic aid, a component of total parenteral nutrition solutions, and in the management of hypercholesterolemia.

silicone oil  any of various long-chain fluid silicone polymers, some of which are injected into the vitreous to serve as a vitreous substitute during or after vitreoretinal surgery.

tea tree oil  an essential oil from the leaves and branch tips of tea tree, having bacteriostatic and weak antiviral and antimycotic properties, used topically for skin infections and used internally and externally in folk medicine for various indications.

thyme oil  the volatile oil extracted from fresh, flowering thyme; used as an antitussive and expectorant.

volatile oil  one that evaporates readily, usually found in aromatic plants; most are a mixture of two or more terpenes.

volatile oil of mustard  a volatile oil distilled from the seeds of black mustard(Brassica nigra); used as a strong counterirritant and rubefacient.

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mineral oil

n.

1. Any of various light hydrocarbon oils, especially a distillate of petroleum.

2. A refined distillate of petroleum, used as a laxative.

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mineral oil,

a laxative, stool softener, emollient, and pharmaceutic aid used as a solvent.

indications It is prescribed to prevent constipation, to treat mild constipation, to prepare the bowel for surgery or examination, and to act as a solvent for various preparations.

contraindications Appendicitis, fecal impaction, obstruction or perforation of the intestinal tract, pregnancy, or known hypersensitivity to this drug prohibits its use.

adverse effects Among the more serious adverse effects are laxative dependence, lipid pneumonitis, fat-soluble vitamin deficiency, and abdominal cramps.

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mineral oil,

n See oil, mineral.

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oil

1. an unctuous, combustible substance that is liquid, or easily liquefiable, on warming, and is not miscible with water, but is soluble in ether. Such substances, depending on their origin, are classified as animal, mineral or vegetable oils.

2. a fat that is liquid at room temperature.

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automobile oil

see sump oil.

oil of chenopodium

extracted from the plant Chenopodium ambrosioides. An old-time anthelmintic.

oil-contamination

the coating of spilled crude oil on waterbirds that destroys the waterproofing and insulating properties of their feathers, predisposing them to hypothermia and impairing flight and swimming abilities. It also blocks nares, causes aspiration pneumonia, and has toxic effects on kidneys, reproduction and the gastrointestinal tract.

oil crop

crops grown primarily for their oil production, e.g. linseed, safflower, sunflower, rapeseed.

crude petroleum oil

crude oil and its several distillates are all relished by cattle and can cause poisoning. The oil as it is extracted from subterranean deposits varies widely in its additional contents. These may be salt or sulfur and cause poisoning by those substances. Oil causes vomiting and death from aspiration pneumonia. Animals do not do well and oil stays in the gut, appearing in the feces for long periods.

diesel and fuel oil

see crude oil.

essential oil

called also ethereal oil; see volatile oil (below).

ethereal oil

see volatile oil (below).

fixed oil

an oil that does not evaporate on warming and occurs as a solid, semisolid or liquid.

oil gland

see uropygial glands.

irritant oil

occurs in plants; causes gastroenteritis; includes bryonin, croton and castor oils.

mineral oil

a mixture of liquid hydrocarbons from petroleum. Mineral oil is available in both light (light liquid petrolatum) and heavy (liquid, or heavy liquid, petrolatum) grades. Light mineral oil is used chiefly as a vehicle for drugs, though it may also be used as a cathartic and to cleanse the skin. Heavy mineral oil is used as a cathartic, solvent and oleaginous vehicle. Excessive intake over a long period results in hypovitaminosis A.

oil pollution

aquatic birds are worst affected because of pasting together of feathers, poisoning because of contamination of food source, blocking of nares and eyes and starvation because of unpalatability of food supply.

oil products

includes kerosene (or kerosine, or paraffin), gasoline (or petrol), diesoline and additives to lubricating oils, e.g. highly chlorinated naphthalenes; any of them may cause poisoning.

oil spill

accidental or negligent discharge of industrial oil on a body of water; effect is that the oil floats and pollutes the shore and covers aquatic birds and mammals with fatal results in most cases; salvage depends on capture of affected birds and animals and removing the oil.

sump oil

see sump oil.

sweet birch oil

see methyl salicylate.

turpentine oil

see turpentine oil.

volatile oil

an oil that evaporates readily; such oils occur in aromatic plants, to which they give odor and other characteristics.

oil of Wintergreen

see methyl salicylate.

yew oil

an irritant oil in Taxus baccata, but not the principal irritant in that plant—taxine is.

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mineral oil

Nutrition A mixture of liquid petroleum-derived hydrocarbons–specific gravity, 0.818-0.96, which was formerly used as a vehicle for pharmaceuticals or as a GI tract lubricant. See Lipoid pneumonia.