litmus
Coloring material from lichens that turns red in acid solutions and blue
in alkaline solutions.
Liveforever (orpine, orpin, livelong, Sedum telephium)
Perennial northern temperate plant with toothed leaves and heads of
small purplish-white flowers.
lobelia
See Herb Department, page 428.
lochia
Normal uterine discharge of blood, tissue, and mucus from the vagina
after childbirth.
lupus
Systemic lupus erythematosus. Chronic skin conditions characterized by
ulcerative lesions that spread over the body. No longer in scientific
use.
lupulin
Minute yellowish-brown hairs in the strobili of the hop plant, formerly
used in medicine as a sedative.
lycopodium
Plant of the genus Lycopodium, including club mosses. The yellowish
powdery spores of certain club mosses, especially Lycopodium clavatum,
are used in fireworks and as a coating for pills.
madras
Cotton or silk cloth of fine texture, usually with a plaid, striped, or
checked pattern. Large handkerchief of madras cloth.
malines
Thin, stiff net woven in a hexagonal pattern, used in dressmaking.
mandrake (may-apple)
Southern European plant (Mandragora officinarum) having greenish-yellow
flowers and a branched root. This plant was once believed to have
magical powers because its root resembles the human body. The root
contains the poisonous alkaloid hyoscyamine. Also called mandragora. See
podophyllin.