Ipecacuanha – DANGEROUS old fashioned emetic
Ipecacuanha or ipecac has the Latin name Carapichea ipecacuanha. This is the correct name according to the USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program Germplasm Resources Information Network, although Wikipedia has it listed as Psychotria ipecacuanha and the RHS lists it as Cephaelis ipecacuanha in the 2008 edition of their Encyclopedia of Herbs. Both of these are actually synonyms, along with two other common synonyms: Cephaelis acuminata and Callicocca ipecacuanha (so you might find this plant labeled with any of these names).
If you think this is confusing, be grateful I’m not giving you any more. Although other Latin names do exist, these mostly date back to the 1890s and were the result of different explorers finding the same plant, but not being aware of the first one found (which takes priority unless the genus is later reallocated).
Ipecac is a native of Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua and Panama. It has leaves 3-6 inches long, so would probably make a very nice houseplant if you live in cooler regions.
For many years, until the end of the last century in fact, doctors recommended that a bottle of ipecac syrup was kept in the medicine cupboard in case of accidental poisoning, in order to induce vomiting. However, it has since been discovered that there is no difference in outcome between people who have been poisoned who vomit, and those who don’t, and the side effects of ipecacuanha are serious and may be fatal. For more information about this, visit the National Capital Poison Center’s page on ipecac syrup.
If you have a bottle of ipecac syrup kept aside for this or any other purpose, you should dispose of it. Although ipecac is still used in some cough medicines and in homeopathy (where tiny quantities are used), it is only suitable for use by qualified practitioners.
I’m not going to give any more details about this plant, but as already mentioned, you could grow it as a houseplant, though you may need a tall pot to contain the tap root. Since I hope you won’t be using it as a remedy, you don’t have to grow it organically, if you don’t want to.
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