- Macerate
- Soak until soft; usually referring to the softening of solid plant matter by soaking it in a liquid.
- Masticatory
- A substance chewed to increase salivation.
- Mineral Oil
- A colourless, tasteless, petroleum derivative used as a laxative.
- Monocotyledon
- Angiosperm having only one seed leaf cotyledon.
- Moss
- Any of various bryophytes without true stems, reproducing by spores and growing in velvety clusters in moist areas on rocks, trees, and the ground.
- Moxa
- A dried herb, usually mugwort, burnt on or above the skin to stimulate an acupunture point or serve as a counterirritant.
- Mucilage
- A viscid substance in a plant, consisting of a gum and sugars (polysaccharides) dissolved in the juice of a plant.
It is found in many plants, including slippery elm. The large sugar molecules soak up water, producing a soft, slippery, sticky jellylike mass. Mucilage lines the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, protecting it against irritation, acidity, and inflammation. This soothing and protective action appears to extend to other areas including the mucous membranes of the throat, lungs, kidneys, and urinary tubules.
- Mucilagens
- By-products of metabolic processes that occur within the plant.
They swell when in contact with water, and they take on a viscous or plastic constiuency. Chemically speaking, mucilagens are made from long chains of bonded sugars known as polysaccarides. When applied to the skin, they act as an emolient, soothing and softening inflamed tissue.
- Mucilaginous
- Referring to a substance that is slimy, gooey, and sticky.
It has the property of moistening, soothing, and helping the skin and mucous membranes to heal.
- Mycelium
- A mass of threadlike tubes forming the vegetative parts of a fungus.
- Mycoprotein
- A protein derived from mold and fungi.
- Mycorrhiza
- A close symbiosis between mycelia of certain fungi and the roots of some vascular plants.
- Mycosis
- A fungal infection.
- Mydriatic
- Any substance that increases (dilates) the size of the pupil of the eye, belladonna being a prime example.
- Myotic
- Any substance that has the ability to reduce (constrict) the pupil of the eye.
