They are a result of phagocytosis â the process by which A. proteus engulfs its prey. A food vacuole is basically a storage unit of food for the amoeba and is formed only when the amoeba has engulfed its prey completely â then digestive enzymes are released into the vacuole.
The dried root and rhizome are the source of the medicinally useful products. Ipecac has been widely used in syrup form as a potent and effective emetic. Ipecac powder had been used to induce sweating at the onset of influenza, and small amounts of the extract have been incorporated into cough syrups as expectorants.
A drug may be classified by the chemical type of the active ingredient or by the way it is used to treat a particular condition. Each drug can be classified into one or more drug classes. Expectorants are drugs that increase the bronchial secretion and enhance the expulsion of mucus by air passages of the lungs. This makes it is easier to cough up the phlegm or sputum. Expectorants are used in cough mixtures for chesty coughs.