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can·thar·i·din kan-'thar-əd-ən n a bitter crystalline compound C10H12O4 that is the active blister-producing ingredient of cantharides
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n.
the active principle of cantharides, or Spanish fly (the dried bodies of a blister beetle, Lytta vesicatoria). A toxic and irritant chemical, cantharidin causes blistering of the skin and was formerly used in veterinary medicine as a counterirritant and vesicant. If swallowed it causes nausea, vomiting, and inflammation of the urinary tract, the latter giving rise to its reputation as an aphrodisiac. It is very dangerous and may cause death.
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can·thar·i·din (kan-tharґĭ-din) a bitter-tasting crystalline substance, the lactone of cantharidic acid and the most important active principle of cantharides; it is also found in the bodies of other beetles such as Epicauta. On human skin it produces blistering; consumption of the dead bodies of the beetles in hay or other feed can be lethal to farm animals.Medical dictionary. 2011.