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Herb library · Herb · Carapichea ipecacuanha

Ipecac

The root of a small plant of the Brazilian rainforest, the source of ipecac syrup, which was long kept at home to cause vomiting after a poisoning. Poison experts now advise against it, and repeated use has caused heart and muscle damage.

Serious warning

Ipecac is taken to force vomiting, and repeated use is dangerous: young women with eating disorders who used it developed muscle weakness, and in one case damage to the heart muscle (cardiomyopathy), which resolved only after they stopped. Do not use it to make yourself vomit.

Traditional use

The root was gathered in the forests of Brazil and exported through Rio de Janeiro; King's American Dispensatory (1905) records that it was collected by local people and was once called the "root against dysentery." It became a standard emetic in European and American medicine, and ipecac syrup was sold over the counter for decades to make a person vomit after swallowing a poison.

What studies show

  • Limited· shows no benefit

    Poisoning: position papers by American and European clinical toxicology societies (2004, updated 2013) found no convincing evidence from clinical studies that ipecac improves the outcome of poisoned patients, and advise that it should not be given routinely at home or in the emergency department, because it can delay activated charcoal and antidotes.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • NoteDo not keep ipecac at home for poisoning. If someone swallows something harmful, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222 in the U.S.) or emergency services instead.
  • ConditionIf you or someone you know is using ipecac to vomit after eating, that is a sign of an eating disorder and a medical risk to the heart; please talk to a clinician.
  • PregnancyNever use it in pregnancy or while breastfeeding.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician before using any product that contains ipecac.

Sources

  1. Position paper update: ipecac syrup for gastrointestinal decontamination (Clin Toxicol, 2013) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  2. Ipecac myopathy and cardiomyopathy (J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry, 1993) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
  3. The eating disorders medicine cabinet revisited: a clinician's guide to ipecac and laxatives (Int J Eat Disord, 2007) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.